FEMA Grants $32 Million To Jefferson County For Debris Removal
Release Date: October 26, 2005
Release Number: 1606-048
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AUSTIN , Texas -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded a $32,640,000 public assistance grant to the State of Texas to reimburse Jefferson County for costs of debris removal throughout the county resulting from Hurricane Rita.
Debris removal costs for designated counties will be 100 percent federally funded through Oct. 27, 2005. This includes costs of removing debris-related hazards on public rights-of-way. Jefferson County alone has more than 2.1 million cubic yards of debris.
"Our strike teams are in the field to provide technical assistance to Jefferson County," said Sandy Coachman, FEMA's federal coordinating officer for disaster recovery operations in Texas . "Contractors will pick up, haul and dispose of the debris in order to help the communities get back to business."
The federal funds are made available under FEMA's Public Assistance Program. The State of Texas administers the program. Eligible disaster-related costs are reimbursed to state and local governments and certain non-profit organizations providing essential government-like services in the area impacted by the storm.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 26-Oct-2005 15:35:15