Located in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward along the banks of the Mississippi River, Jackson Barracks serves as the headquarters of the Louisiana National Guard. Following Hurricane Katrina, its facilities were severely flooded, which resulted in 208 damaged structures eligible for FEMA public assistance funding.

Many of the 208 damaged structures at Jackson Barracks were either repaired or replaced while several, per applicant request and in accordance with federal policy, have been approved by FEMA as improved projects.

Instead of rebuilding all 208 damaged structures individually, Jackson Barracks decided to rebuild utilizing construction practices that they felt would best meet their post-Katrina recovery goals, said FEMA’s Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office Interim Director Mark Landry. Such work included combining multiple facilities to better suit the requirements of the Louisiana National Guard.

FEMA’s recent funding of $24.5 million in public assistance grants was provided as scope alignments to actualize the costs of various Jackson Barracks recovery projects. This brings the agency’s total public assistance for Jackson Barracks recovery work to nearly $94 million.

Significant progress has occurred at Jackson Barracks since March of last year, said Major General Hunt Downer Louisiana National Guard. These recent grants for improved projects are the result of our strong partnership with FEMA’s Public Assistance Team, whose attitude is we are here to help you.

The Louisiana National Guard plays a vital role in service to our state and our country, and it will be a great day for our state and the surrounding communities when Jackson Barracks is completely restored, said Robin Keegan, executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority.

When FEMA approves projects through its supplemental Public Assistance grant, the funds are transferred to a federal Smartlink account. Once the funds have reached this account, the applicant can request reimbursement from GOHSEP for eligible work completed.

The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to fund recovery measures and the rebuilding of government and certain private nonprofit organizations’ buildings, as well as roads, bridges and water and sewer plants. In order for the process to be successful, federal, state and local partners coordinate to draw up project plans, fund these projects and oversee their completion.

Created in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in 2005, the Louisiana Recovery Authority ( LRA ) is the coordinating and planning body leading the most extensive rebuilding effort in American history. The central point for hurricane recovery in Louisiana, the LRA works closely with the GOHSEP and partners with state and federal agencies to oversee more than $20 billion worth of programs, speed the pace of rebuilding, remove hurdles and red tape and ensure that Louisiana recovers safer and stronger than before.

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.

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Editors: For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/latro

Source: Media Newswire