Hurricane Katrina Mississippi Recovery Update: April 2008
Release Date: May 1, 2008
Release Number: 1604-646
» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina
Biloxi, Miss. -- The following is a summary of Mississippi recovery efforts as of Apr. 25, 2008:
Individual support continues with more than $1.2 billion to individuals and families:
- 216,554 individuals and families have been approved for Housing Assistance totaling more than $852 million;
- 134,811 Mississippians have been approved for more than $415 million in Other Needs Assistance (ONA);
- 7,361 temporary housing units (travel trailers and mobile homes) in service. More than
35,000 units have been deactivated.
- The next Helping Hands Workshop will be held 6 to 7:30 p.m., May 13 at the Riverfront Community Center in Moss Point.
| Mar 08 | Apr 08 | |
| Hancock County | 1,668 | 1,368 |
| Harrison County | 3,112 | 2,673 |
| Jackson County | 1,509 | 1,220 |
| Other counties | 2,335 | 2,100 |
Nearly 2,400 Mississippi families have been moved from FEMA temporary housing into a Mississippi Cottage. The Mississippi Cottage is a part of the Mississippi Alternative Housing Program, which is administered by MEMA and is funded by a $280 million dollar federal grant. For more information about the program, visit www.mscottage.org.
More than $2.8 billion has been obligated in various Public Assistance (PA) categories:
- More than $715 million obligated for land-based debris removal; approximately $975 million in Direct Federal Assistance funds were obligated to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the land-based debris removal mission. To date, more than 46 million cubic yards of debris has been removed that's equal to a football field stacked approximately 4.9 miles high.
- $374 million for emergency protective measures;
- $591 million to repair or replace public buildings;
- $815 million to repair public utilities;
- $134 million to repair and restore public recreational facilities such as state parks;
- $129 million to meet the costs of administering the PA grants;
- $62 million to repair roads and bridges;
- $1.3 million to repair water control devices such as ditches and irrigation channels.
MEMA administers PA funds. To date, MEMA has disbursed more than $1.4 billion to PA applicants for debris removal and rebuilding projects including bridges, public buildings and utilities.
An inter-agency campaign, directed by FEMA, has been working to clean up Mississippi's coastal and inland waterways:
- As of Apr. 21, the U.S. Coast Guard has cleared more than 377,000 cubic yards of marine debris from the water since marine cleanup began May 2006 and 13 of 15 marine debris removal contracts are complete.
- Jackson County: 71,161 cubic yards
- Harrison County: 190,318 cubic yards
- Hancock County: 116,083 cubic yards
- The entire wet debris operation is nearly 98% complete.
- More than $63.3 million has been expended for marine debris removal. Due to the oversight and recommendation by the U.S. Coast Guard project officer and the FEMA Operations section, approximately $125 million of the $222 million obligated for the project has been de-obligated. Obligated funds can be adjusted if a project can be completed for less than the original project estimate.
Preparing today for tomorrow's disasters:
- FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) brings together federal, state, and local governments to prepare communities for future events. Hazard mitigation is any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards and their effects.
- MEMA, as designated by the Governor of Mississippi, administers the HMGP. MEMA provides eligible grant applicants with assistance in mitigation planning, project selection, application development and reimbursement.
- MEMA has allocated more than $204 million for various HMGP projects throughout the state.
- Across the state, 252 jurisdictions have MEMA and FEMA approved Hazard Mitigation plans.
- The amount of funding available for the HMGP following a disaster is 7.5 percent of the total amount of federal assistance. More than $413 million in HMGP funds are available for Mississippi.
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: Thursday, 01-May-2008 13:24:26