Federal Grants to Aid Catholic Diocese of Biloxi Schools in Hancock County 

Release Date: February 27, 2008
Release Number: 1604-627

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BILOXI, Miss. -- Federal officials recently approved grants to help the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi pay for damages Bay Catholic and St. Clare Elementary schools sustained when Hurricane Katrina's winds, rain and storm surge raked Hancock County.

St. Clare Elementary School in Waveland was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and it will be combined with Bay Catholic Elementary School in Bay Saint Louis to become Holy Trinity.

Improvements funded by these grants include but are not limited to:  

"The one good thing to come from this disaster is that all the new work will be done to current codes and standards which means it will often be stronger and better than what the storm destroyed," said Sid Melton, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Mississippi Transitional Recovery Office (TRO).

These projects will be funded by FEMA Public Assistance program grants. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency administers the Public Assistance Program.

"In each case, our agency works closely with FEMA and local officials to assess the exact nature of the devastation and develop the best plan to repair or rebuild," said MEMA Director Mike Womack.  "Because these two schools have combined into one school, Holy Trinity, they need to expand the size of their campus. These grants will help the diocese expand on the site of the former Bay Catholic Elementary in Bay Saint Louis and bring the existing buildings up to proper codes and standards.  

Since Aug. 1, 2007, amounts for large projects range from $1 million to more than $30 million. In many instances, FEMA pays to replace rather than repair a damaged structure. The agency's policy is to pay for full replacement when the cost to repair a structure is greater than 50 percent of the replacement cost.

For the unprecedented disaster, FEMA provides 100 percent funding for all eligible projects.

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: Wednesday, 27-Feb-2008 12:47:36