Another Milestone In Recovery: FEMA Completes Marine Debris Operations In Harrison, Hancock Counties 

Release Date: March 9, 2009
Release Number: 1604-704

» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina

BILOXI, Miss. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently completed its final contract for marine debris operations by removing approximately 88,000 cubic yards of debris from a marsh area north of Bay St. Louis in eastern Hancock and western Harrison counties. The completion of the contract marks the conclusion of the debris removal mission in Mississippi.

The mission has been an joint effort of FEMA, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR), the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE), the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and local contractors.

A permit was obtained from USACE to implement the cleanup mission of the marsh in the spring of 2007. FEMA, along with state and other federal agencies, investigated the area and determined that the debris piles - up to eight feet in height in some places - needed to be removed due to the potential threats to both human and environmental health.

Nearly 400,000 cubic yards of marine debris have been removed from the coastal and inland waterways of Jackson, Harrison and Hancock counties:

Overall, more than 46 million cubic yards of storm debris have been removed in Mississippi in the three years since Hurricane Katrina struck. This is equal to a football field stacked nearly five miles high.

Overall Debris Removal in the three coastal counties:

"This is truly another milestone in the recovery from Katrina," said Alec Watson, acting director of FEMA's Mississippi Transitional Recovery Office (TRO). "It is a testament to the team effort of local, state and federal agencies as we all work together to move closer to our goal of a full recovery for Mississippi."

The project was funded by a grant from FEMA's Public Assistance Program, which helps states and eligible non-profit organizations pay for disaster-related cleanup and rebuilding to pre-disaster condition. MEMA administers Public Assistance funds. FEMA has already obligated more than $2.9 billion in grants to Mississippi through the Public Assistance program.

Visit www.fema.gov or www.msema.org to learn more about Public Assistance.

Before and after photo links:

www.photolibrary.fema.gov/photolibrary/photo_details.do?id=33185

www.photolibrary.fema.gov/photolibrary/photo_details.do?id=40139

FEMA leads and supports the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation, to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 17-Mar-2009 17:00:34