Mississippi Recovery: Right Pieces, Right Direction 

Release Date: June 4, 2007
Release Number: 1604-557

» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina

BILOXI, Miss. -- Mississippi is bouncing back from Hurricane Katrina's devastation.  Like the mythological phoenix, the bird rising out of the ashes of destruction, the state's coast is being reborn out of the ruins of the storm.  A new Mississippi is emerging, thanks to the vision of state and local officials, to private investment and to the foundation laid by state and federal programs.

"We're seeing significant progress each and every day," said Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway. "Whether it's the new lighting we're installing on U.S. 90, the rebuilding of city facilities, or the wrapping up of debris removal."

Holloway can also point to the resurgence of the casino industry as another marker of Biloxi's recovery; seven of the nine resorts are now open and about 15,000 people are back to work. Other private investment underscores this city's revival. Eight new condominium projects are in the works, new house construction is booming and repairs to 8,500 storm-damaged residences are either completed or underway. (See progress of the Biloxi recovery at www.biloxi.ms.us.)

Biloxi's recovery story is one among many about the towns coming back to life along or near the Gulf Coast. Not all are returning to normalcy as fast - or as smoothly-as anticipated; there are plenty of obstacles to their dreams. But whether it's Long Beach or Pascagoula, Bay St. Louis or Gulfport, the stories can all be told against the backdrop of public assistance provided through the partnership between the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

"Before residents and businesses returned, debris had to be cleared from roads, power had to be restored, and schools, hospitals and government offices had to be functioning," said Dennis Kizziah, acting director of Mississippi's Transitional Recovery Office. "This was made possible, in part, through FEMA's Public Assistance program."

More than $2 billion in Public Assistance (PA) has been obligated by FEMA to deal with Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath in Mississippi. It is different than the Individual Assistance program, the other arm of disaster aid, which helps with housing, home repairs and other needs to get people on their feet. Public Assistance puts the state's infrastructure back together.

Local and state entities have submitted nearly 13,000 project worksheets or applications for public assistance. Many of the projects are already underway. Once approved, federal and state dollars helps to restore many parts of Mississippi's infrastructure, paving the way for community revitalization and business growth.

MEMA has disbursed more than $1 billion of the federally obligated funds to local and state entities to help pay for many large projects that include:

This is only part of the recovery price tag. The cost for removing land and marine debris will exceed $1 billion. Funds will go to ports and harbors-improving the state's business environment. Federal and state money will also go to the fishing industry to help return it to its robust pre-storm levels. 

The list of projects continues to grow. FEMA has obligated more than $215 million to restore or repair primary and secondary schools in Mississippi. The agency has obligated nearly $28 million, so far, to assist colleges and universities damaged by Hurricane Katrina.  

While FEMA and MEMA are jointly providing the building blocks for the foundation of the state's recovery, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is also the arms and the legs setting the blocks in place, making the foundation solid and straight.

"MEMA's task is to administer both federal and state funds for the Public Assistance program," said Mike Womack, MEMA's director. "We work with the applicants, to make sure proposed project worksheets meet federal and state requirements."

MEMA also seeks the guidance of state and local agencies such as the Department of Environmental Quality and the Historic Preservation Commission to ensure applicants adhere to regulations and standards in making repairs and restorations.

To make certain the foundation of Mississippi's recovery remains strong, MEMA contracted the services of accountants to keep track of the documentation justifying each FEMA Public Assistance grant.

"We're going to do it [recovery] in a responsible fashion," said Mayor Holloway. "We're going to show the rest of the country that we're going to do it right."

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Last Modified: Monday, 04-Jun-2007 13:26:44