A Year Of Progress In Mississippis Katrina Recovery
Release Date: February 4, 2008
Release Number: 1604-623
» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina
BILOXI, Miss. -- As Mississippi Gulf Coast residents settle into the New Year, federal and state officials paused to take stock of their many 2007 accomplishments in recovery from Hurricane Katrina.
We are always focused on the work ahead of us and committed to Mississippis recovery, said Sid Melton, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Mississippi Transitional Recovery Office. Now and then it helps to reflect with gratitude on what thousands of people from many volunteer agencies working together have already accomplished to restore and improve Mississippi.
FEMA, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), local governments, countless volunteers and the people of Mississippi achieved the following during 2007:
Assisting individuals and families
- The number of occupied emergency temporary housing units in Mississippi decreased by 61 percentfrom 31,000 at the end of 2006 to 12,052 at year end 2007.
- Twenty-one emergency group sites closed in 2007, deactivating 1,360 housing units. (To meet housing needs of more than 3,000 displaced residents immediately following Katrina, FEMA, with cooperation from MEMA and local governments, built 42 emergency group sites.)
- Approximately 17,000 temporary housing units were deactivated.
- Approximately 13,000 families and individuals returned to repaired or rebuilt homes.
- More than 3,000 families and individuals received more than $12 million in FEMA Rental Assistance.
- The FEMA/Mississippi Applicant Support Maintenance Call Center fielded approximately 70,000 maintenance calls from occupants of temporary housing.
- FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons conducted 11 Helping Hands Workshops for temporary housing residents across the Gulf Coast. At the workshops, panelists from government and voluntary agencies offer support to help residents move back to permanent housing, including credit counseling, case management, legal services and information about housing assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Restoring Gulf Coast waterways
- In 2007, FEMA, working under an inter-agency agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard, removed 278,037 cubic yards of debris from the waters of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties:
- Hancock 92,676 cubic yards
- Harrison 132,992 cubic yards
- Jackson 52,369 cubic yards
Rebuilding Gulf Coast infrastructure
Summary of Public Assistance Funding Obligated in 2007
Categories Obligated Funds Project Worksheets (PWs)*
Debris Removal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 2.8M 143
Protective Measures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 38.2M 138
Roads & Bridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 32.9M 32
Public Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $135.8M 208
Public Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $111.9M 22
Recreational or Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $66.9M 73
State Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 58.0M 1
TOTAL $446.3M 619
*A Project Worksheet is the primary form used to document the scope of work and cost estimate for each project. For any given project, there may be more than one PW as well as new PWs that revise older PWs.
- More than $41.9 million was obligated in 2007 to coastal counties for road repairs, debris removal, repair or replacement of fishing piers and boardwalks, and restoration of coastline beaches.
- More than $47.2 million was obligated to city governments for debris removal and repair or replacement of water and sewer systems, fishing piers and harbors.
- More than $18.8 million was obligated to school systems of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.
- Overall, throughout the state, over $73 million was obligated for secondary schools, including private-non-profit schools.
- Approximately $9.5 million was obligated for medical facilities.
- More than $10 million was obligated to the repair and restoration of Mississippi Gulf Coast historical landmarks.
- More than $31 million was obligated to repair or restore public utility systems for the lower three counties.
- In May, Congress increased the federal payment share for Hurricane Katrina Public Assistance projects from 90 percent to 100 percent. The increase applied to well over 10,000 Project Worksheets, saving Mississippi hundreds of millions of dollars.
Preserving Mississippis history and environment
- The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation gave FEMA its Chairmans Award for Federal Achievement in Historic Preservation for FEMAs innovative integration of a Geographic Information System (GIS) into a digitized database of Mississippi historic properties. The award also recognized FEMAs partnership with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, MEMA and the Mississippi Band of the Choctaw Indians.
- More than 9,700 PWs have been reviewed for compliance with environmental and historic preservation laws and regulations.
- More than 1,100 properties were cleared for use in the Alternative Housing Pilot Program.
- More than 14,500 private structures and 700 public buildings have been recorded in the Historic Survey database.
Preparing for tomorrows disasters today
- FEMA, MEMA and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) launched the Mississippi Coastal Mapping Project Web site, www.mscoastalmapping.com, in March. The user-friendly Web site on FEMAs flood map modernization effort and the National Flood Insurance Program received 151,174 hits in 2007. A Call Center to respond to questions about the maps was established in August and received 132 calls in 2007.
- In December, new preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMS) were made available for Gulf Coast communities. Using improved technology and data to more accurately reflect flood risk, these maps are the culmination of a multi-agency effort by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, MEMA and FEMA.
- During 2007, FEMA approved 21 hazard mitigation projects and obligated $27.7 million for these projects.
- In Harrison County, FEMAs Hazard Mitigation Grant Program obligated more than $20 million to upgrade the construction of two new schools for dual use as General Population Shelters. Funding for the replacement school buildings that are now under construction is being provided by grants from FEMAs Public Assistance program. The storm shelters at West Harrison High School and DIberville High School will be built to FEMA 361 standards to provide near absolute protection for up to 5,000 people each.
- Across the state, FEMA approved hazard mitigation plans to ensure rebuilding is more disaster-resistant for 55 jurisdictions, bringing to 246 the number of jurisdictions in Mississippi with approved plans.
Staffing
- Of 1,025 FEMA employees working in Mississippi, nearly 70 percent were Mississippi residents prior to coming to work here.
FEMA coordinates the federal governments 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.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, economic status or retaliation. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, you should call FEMA toll-free at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or contact your State Office of Equal rights. If suspicious of any abuse of FEMA programs, please contact the fraud hotline at 1-800-323-8603.
Last Modified: Monday, 04-Feb-2008 16:51:30