Families RecoveringCommunities Rebuilding.  
FEMA Gulf Coast Recovery Office - Hurricane Katrina 2nd Anniversary 
 
 

 
 
 
Our Commitment  
Two years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, FEMA is committed to the future of the Gulf Coast region. The communities in the Gulf Coast continue to press forward and make progress toward rebuilding. Thus far, thousands of families have moved out of temporary housing and back into their homes, a sign of progress in the rebuilding process. 
 
This commitment is evident in FEMAs Transitional Recovery Offices (TROs) in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. These offices were established to ensure FEMAs recovery and mitigation programs are administered effectively, consistently, equitably and aggressively across the Gulf Coast. There are over 3,300 FEMA employees in these TROs. Approximately 70% of our staff is from the local areas and many were disaster victims themselves. It is with this shared experience and commitment that we continue our important work of helping families recover and communities rebuild.  
 
 
 
 
Over the past two years, FEMA has provided over $33 billion to the Gulf Coast states. Our focus in each Gulf Coast state involves three program areas: Public Assistance, Individual Assistance, and Mitigation. 
 
Public Assistance  
 Over $8.3 billion of Public Assistance funding has been made available to LA, MS, AL, and TX to reimburse expenses for emergency protective measures, debris removal and infrastructure repair.  


 
 Of the $8.3 billion FEMA has obligated to Gulf Coast states, state governments have disbursed $4.7 billion of these funds and have the remaining $3.61 billion available for disbursement to their Counties/Parishes. 


 
 Since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, FEMA has funded the removal of 111 million cubic yards of debris in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. That amount of debris would fill the Superdome in New Orleans more than 20 times.   


 
 100 percent of debris has been removed in Texas (Rita) and Alabama (Katrina), while 98 percent of debris has been removed in Mississippi.  Louisiana debris removal is 88 percent completed. 


 
 Some of this public assistance funding went into the following Gulf Coast projects: 

o Education - $1.325 billion will help repair and rebuild schools along the Gulf Coast. 

o Criminal Justice - $297 million has been obligated toward sheriff, police and fire departments, as well as other criminal justice entities. 

o Public Works - $1.36 billion has funded infrastructure projects, including repairs to roads, bridges, sewer and water systems, and other utilities. 

o Health and Hospitals  Hospitals and other health facilities will rebuild with $514 million in funds. 

o Historic/Cultural Resources  Museums, theaters, parks and playgrounds are some of the historic and cultural resources that have benefited from the $282 million obligated to the Gulf Coast states. 



 
 
Individual Assistance 
 $7.6 billion has been provided to over 1.4 million households through FEMAs Individual and Households Program (IHP). This includes over $5.5 billion in Housing Assistance, and $2.1 billion in Other Needs Assistance.  Housing Assistance includes temporary housing, and repair and replacement activities, as well as rental assistance and expedited housing assistance.  Other Needs Assistance includes personal property replacement, transportation assistance, medical and dental expenses, funeral expenses and assistance with other expenses such as moving and storage. 


 
 $2.3 billion of rental assistance has been distributed to over 720,000 households. FEMA has provided over $436 million in home repair payments, helping make more than 185,000 homes habitable across the Gulf Region following Katrina and Rita. FEMA has provided more than $344 million to over 34,000 households to assist them towards the purchase of replacement housing.   


 
 More than 143,000 families have been provided temporary housing units (travel trailers and mobile homes) across the Gulf Coast.  Currently FEMA has 61,817 families living in temporary housing units still located throughout the Gulf Coast. This represents a 57% reduction in the peak occupancy.   


 
State 
 Current Number of Households 
 Peak Occupancy 
 
Alabama 
 299 
 2,056 
 
Louisiana 
 43,123 
 91,004 
 
Mississippi 
 17,382 
 45,818 
 
Texas 
 1,013 
 4,245 
 
TOTAL 
 61,817 
 143,123 
 


 
 80 percent of our temporary housing units are on private sites where individuals are rebuilding their homes.  


 
 FEMA is reaching out to the applicants located in FEMA group site parks to assist them in finding a permanent housing solution. FEMA is working with each household to identify rental units that meet their families needs. FEMA has partnered with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to assist in locating additional rental resources for applicants through their National Housing Locator System (NHLS). 


 
 On November 1, all applicants receiving FEMA rental assistance will be transitioned to HUD under the Disaster Housing Assistance Program. 


 
 
Alternative Housing Pilot Program  
Congress provided $400 million for the Alternative Housing Pilot Program (AHPP) to identify, develop and evaluate alternatives to FEMA travel trailers and mobile homes. This program will also provide housing to people with on-going housing needs due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  FEMA selected pilot projects in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas for grant awards.    
 
In April, FEMA awarded $275,427,730 to the State of Mississippi for the Park Model and Mississippi Cottage project.  Mississippi has started installing these units and moving families into the new housing alternatives.  The projects include state-of-the-art engineering standards, designed to maximize energy efficiency with environmentally sound materials.  Once tested and proven, these models could potentially be used in response to future major disasters.     
  
In August, FEMA awarded $15,667,293 to the State of Alabama for the City of Bayou La Batre project.  The City of Bayou La Batre will build two new housing communities, for approximately 100-120 households who lost their homes due to the storm surge and flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina.  The AHPP sites will include recreational areas for both children and adults, community spaces, and support services (e.g., homeownership counseling, psycho-social support) for disaster- affected households. 
 
FEMA is working with Louisiana and Texas to finalize their grant awards and looks forward to learning from the pilot projects. 
 
 
Mitigation 
FEMAs mitigation efforts have focused on working with local communities to rebuild better and safer. FEMA is re-evaluating its floodplain maps in the Gulf, some of which have not been updated since 1985. While those flood maps are being modernized, FEMA provided local communities with the Advisory Base Flood Elevations (ABFE) as interim guides on rebuilding. We must ensure that as the region builds back, it does so in a way that makes it stronger and less susceptible to future damages.    
 
FEMAs Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides funds to State and local governments for projects that will prevent future losses to lives and property due to disasters.  HMGP funds may be used to flood-proof or elevate existing properties; acquire and relocate homes from hazard prone areas; and implement minor flood control measures. 
 
In Louisiana, over $1.47 billion is expected to be available under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  As of August 7, 2007, FEMA has allocated or obligated $17,498,313 in federal funds for HMGP projects and state management costs in Louisiana.    
 
FEMA continues to support the State of Mississippi on the implementation of the HMGP.  The current amount available to Mississippi under the HMGP is expected to be approximately $433 million.  As of August 7, 2007, FEMA has obligated $38.7 million in HMGP funds to Mississippi.  
 
FEMAs Transitional Recovery offices are also working with Alabama and Texas to implement mitigation projects.  $71 million is available in Alabama for HMGP, and $103 million is available in Texas for HMGP as a result of Hurricane Rita. 
 
Through December 31, 2006, the National Flood Insurance Program has paid out over $16 billion in NFIP claims in the Gulf Coast, including $13 billion on over 187,000 claims in Louisiana alone, and over 98 percent of all claims filed have been closed. 
 
 
Gulf Coast Recovery  More Information 
 
For more information about FEMAs Gulf Coast recovery efforts, please visit www.fema.gov/gulfcoastrecovery