FEMA Obligates $4.5 Million to Jefferson Parish for Debris Removal

BATON ROUGE, La. – A $4.5 million federal grant has been awarded to Jefferson Parish to help with costs for cleaning up debris created by Hurricane Isaac’s high winds and flooding, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said Thursday.

The FEMA grant, totaling $4,510,862, helps reimburse the parish for work to remove and dispose of debris from the public rights of way. That includes more than 203,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris and nearly 54,400 cubic yards of construction and demolition debris.

“This grant demonstrates FEMA’s strong support for Jefferson Parish’s efforts to clear debris after the storm,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar. “The funds go to the parish but ultimately they will help the whole community recover from Hurricane Isaac.”

The FEMA grant covers the federal share of the parish’s eligible costs for the work. Under a cost-sharing formula, FEMA reimburses the state for 75 percent of the total costs, while the state and/or applicant pay the remaining 25 percent.

The newly obligated funds are a portion of the $14.3 million in total Public Assistance recovery funds approved for applicants in Jefferson Parish since the Aug. 29, 2012, declaration for Hurricane Isaac. Statewide, Public Assistance grants total $171.2 million.

Once FEMA reimburses the state of Louisiana it is the state’s responsibility to manage the funds, which includes making disbursements to local jurisdictions and organizations that incurred costs.

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, click www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow FEMA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gov/blog.