Release Number: HQ-10-159
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate today met with state and local officials in Louisiana to discuss the region's ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Fugate joined Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan for a field hearing before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery on the status of the recovery, and then toured New Orleans with FEMA Regional Administrator Tony Russell to see some of the progress on the ground. Fugate visited St. Bernard Parish on Wednesday and is scheduled to visit Mississippi on Friday. FEMA Deputy Administrator Rich and other Administration officials are also scheduled to visit the region this week to mark the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on Sunday, August 29.
"Every time I visit the Gulf Coast I'm reminded of two things - a lot of work has been done, and a lot of work is left to do," said Fugate. "Under the leadership of Secretary Napolitano we have been able to cut through the red-tape that has hurt recovery in this region, and have freed up over $2.5 billion in projects so far. We also continue to take steps to ensure that the failures of Katrina are never repeated. And only by working as a team, with ever member of the federal family, our private sector, faith-based and non-profits groups, and especially with the public, can we truly be prepared for another large-scale disaster. That's why we work every day to build and strengthen our entire team, and why we remind people if you haven't already, visit Ready.gov to learn the simply steps you can take to be prepared."
In New Orleans, Fugate visited the Andrew Wilson Elementary School, in the Broadmoor area of New Orleans. The school opened in January as part of the Recovery School District (RSD) Quick Start program. RSD used more than $27.3 million in FEMA funds for the complete restoration of the school's existing historic building and construction of a new gymnasium, cafeteria, additional art and music room space, and new features to make the school more energy efficient. The tour also included stops at the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), which $44 million from FEMA to replace its fleet of buses with new, energy efficient vehicles, and $23.7 million for streetcar repairs and replacements, and the future site of the LSU Academic Medical Center. The center is being constructed in part with $598 million in FEMA funding.
Over the last year and a half, FEMA and the Obama Administration has worked with state and local officials to cut through bureaucratic red tape and get money moving to important projects on the ground. Since January, 2009, FEMA has been able to provide more than $2.33 billion to the state of Louisiana in Public Assistance, and another $170 million to Mississippi. These funds have gone to everything from rebuilding schools to supporting fire and police to improvements to sewer and water systems and other public infrastructure.
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FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.