[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish Approves Adoption of Flood Elevation Guidelines

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish Approves Adoption of Flood Elevation Guidelines

Parish Now Eligible for $61.2 Million in Recovery Funding

BATON ROUGE, La. (April 3, 2007) - The St. Bernard Parish Council today voted to adopt the Advisory Base Flood Elevations (ABFE) as recommended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and required by the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA), clearing the way for a total of $61.2 million to the parish for rebuilding and recovery efforts. 

Now that the parish has adopted the new guidelines, it is eligible to receive $11.2 million to help get flood-prone homes out of harm's way and to make critical infrastructure, like hospitals, police stations and emergency operations centers, more resistant to future storms by installing shutters, raising generators and fuel tanks, and using other storm-proofing techniques. 

"It wasn't easy, but Chairman DiFatta and the council did the right thing for the future of our community," said LRA Board Member Walter Leger. "This was a difficult decision and we thank them for their hard work on it."

St. Bernard will also be able to access up to $26 million for building recovery projects in the parish and affected municipalities from the LRA's Long Term Community Recovery program. An additional estimated $24 million will be available to the parish to cover their ten percent match for FEMA's Public Assistance program. 

Parishes that choose not to adopt the ABFE guidelines as recommended by FEMA will not be eligible for the cost sharing program or additional funds for hazard mitigation. 

The following parishes and municipalities previously adopted the ABFE guidelines: Lafourche, Plaquemines, Calcasieu, Lake Charles, Sulphur, Vinton, Westlake, Cameron, Iberia, Jeanerette, New Iberia, Jefferson, Grand Isle, Gretna, Harahan, Jean Lafitte, Kenner, Westwego, Golden Meadow, Lockport, Thibodaux, Orleans, St. Charles, St. Mary, Baldwin, Franklin, Morgan City, St. Tammany, Madisonville, Slidell, Tangipahoa, Ponchatoula, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Abbeville and Delcambre.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, claiming 1,464 lives, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the planning and coordinating body that was created in the aftermath of these storms by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world. The LRA is a 33-member body which is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana.

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