Text 2277, 930 rader
Skriven 2006-03-08 23:33:08 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0603088) for Wed, 2006 Mar 8
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Fact Sheet: Gulf Coast Update: Hurricane Relief, Recovery, and Rebuilding
Continues
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 8, 2006
Fact Sheet: Gulf Coast Update: Hurricane Relief, Recovery, and Rebuilding
Continues
Today, The President And Mrs. Bush Traveled To Louisiana And Mississippi To
Assess Continuing Relief, Recovery, And Rebuilding Efforts - And To
Reaffirm The Administration's Commitment To The Gulf Coast. The devastation
of Hurricane Katrina has required an unprecedented response by Federal,
State, and local governments, as well as the private sector. Relief,
recovery, and reconstruction efforts are ongoing - and will continue until
this vital region is up and running again. The President discussed Federal,
State, and local efforts to clear debris, strengthen the Gulf Coast's
hurricane defenses, and meet long-term housing needs for evacuees.
þ Clearing Debris. Roughly 80 percent of non-demolition debris, totaling
more than 80 million cubic yards, has been removed. To ensure debris
removal continues and the process of rebuilding can proceed, the
Federal government is covering 100 percent of the cost of this cleanup
through June 30, whether the task is performed by contractors hired by
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or by local officials, and 90 percent
of the cost thereafter.
þ Strengthening Hurricane Defenses. In order for the Crescent City to
rebuild, and for citizens and businesses to feel confident in
returning, New Orleans needs a modern-day, reliable flood and storm
protection system. President Bush and his Administration have proposed
additional safety and security measures to restore all damaged levees
and floodwalls. By June 1, the beginning of the next hurricane season,
all 169 miles of damaged levees and floodwalls will have been restored
to their design height. This will include correction of any identified
design and construction flaws and will account for compaction and
subsidence.
þ Restoring Gulf Coast School Libraries. Mrs. Bush is leading the effort
to refurbish Gulf Coast school libraries. Through the Laura Bush
Foundation's Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative, grants are
available for books for school libraries in the Gulf Coast region
affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, or Wilma. For more information,
please visit www.LauraBushFoundation.org.
The Region's Reconstruction And Economic Recovery Are Top Priorities For
The Administration. More than 16,000 Federal personnel have been deployed
to help State and local officials along the Gulf Coast recover. Some $88
billion in Federal aid has been made available for relief, recovery, and
rebuilding, with another $20 billion requested to support ongoing recovery
efforts of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Small
Business Administration (SBA), and other Federal government agencies.
Much Progress Has Been Made In The Six Months Since Hurricane Katrina Made
Landfall. President Bush continues to deliver on the Federal commitment to
do what it takes to help residents of the Gulf Coast rebuild their lives.
Below are tangible results Federal agencies have accomplished in helping
the region on the road to a complete recovery and providing an opportunity
for a stronger and better future.
Clearing Debris So Rebuilding Can Proceed
Clean-Up And Other Essential Services
þ Roughly 80 percent of the debris caused by the storms has been cleared
in Mississippi and 54 percent has been cleared in Louisiana. More than
80 million cubic yards of debris have been removed from the Coast - an
amount equal to the debris removed from the September 11 attacks and
Hurricane Andrew combined.
þ To ensure debris removal continues and rebuilding proceeds, the Federal
government is covering 100 percent of the cost of this cleanup through
June 30, whether the task is performed by contractors hired by the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers or local officials, and 90 percent of the cost
thereafter.
þ To sustain progress, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
worked with State environmental officials to develop efficient
protocols for handling hazardous debris like asbestos safely; and they
have helped ensure that landfill facilities are operating in compliance
with applicable requirements.
þ The debris that remains is largely on private property, either in back
and side yards or inside houses that need to be gutted or demolished.
To remove this debris, the Federal government, local leaders, and the
homeowners themselves will have to work together:
þ
Hundreds of thousands of homeowners remain displaced, some hundreds
or thousands of miles away. The Federal government is working with
local officials to expand temporary housing closer to where the
rebuilding must occur, and is providing financial assistance to
homeowners to allow them to begin rebuilding. This is being done
through FEMA and as part of recovery plans developed by the States.
þ
As homeowners return and local plans coalesce, the painful but
necessary work of demolition can begin in the most vulnerable
neighborhoods.
Strengthening The Gulf Coast's Hurricane Defenses
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is on track to restore 169 miles of
damaged levees/floodwalls to authorized design levels by June 1, 2006 -
before the start of the next hurricane season. The President is focusing on
the safety and security of the citizens of the Gulf Coast and has committed
to providing the resources necessary for them to return and rebuild. About
fifty percent (169 of 350 miles) of the levees and floodwalls and 48
percent (34 of 71) of the pump stations were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
The Corps is working on the following levee improvements:
þ Repairing and building the protection system to the authorized design
heights ($2.1 billion):
þ
By June 1, 2006, the Corps is scheduled to restore 169 miles of
damaged levees and floodwalls to their authorized design height and
to install temporary closures on three drainage canals to protect
from storm surge.
þ
By September 2007, the Corps is scheduled to complete the repair of
non-Federal levees, achieve authorized design height, and correct
any identified design and construction flaws. Fifty-nine contracts
have been awarded in the Greater New Orleans area, with the vast
majority (91 percent) going to local or Louisiana firms; 27
contracts or 52 percent are to Hub Zone, small and
disadvantaged/minority contractors.
þ Additional proposed improvements pending before Congress ($1.46
billion) include:
þ
Permanent flood gates and pumping stations at the outfalls of 3
interior drainage canals (17th Avenue, Orleans Avenue, London
Avenue).
þ
Selective armoring of levees at most critical areas throughout the
entire hurricane protection system.
þ
Storm-proofing interior pumping stations.
þ
Improved protection along the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC)
either through upgrades to floodgates or installation of closure
structures.
þ
Incorporation of non-Federal levees in Plaquemines Parish into the
Federal system.
þ
Initiation of wetlands restoration projects to provide both
hurricane protection and environmental restoration.
Rebuilding The Economy, Protecting Workers
Stimulating Business
þ In May, Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding Donald Powell and
Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez will lead a delegation of business
leaders to Louisiana and Mississippi on a "Gulf Coast Business
Investment Mission" to highlight investment opportunities, including
Federal GO Zone tax incentives, as part of an effort to promote
economic growth and job creation in the region.
þ The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) created the Hurricane Contracting
Information Center (HCIC) to provide a central point of reference for
businesses, including those that are minority- or women-owned, to
register for and become aware of Federal contracting opportunities. The
Center has received over 8,200 calls and over 216,000 web visits.
þ
DOC's Minority Business Development Agency has conducted direct
outreach to over 2,000 minority local businesses, assisted over 250
displaced minority firms, and counseled approximately 640
businesses on Gulf Coast procurement opportunities.
þ DOC is helping the affected region carry out recovery activities in
three broad areas: assisting businesses in rebuilding; providing
technical assistance and capacity building; and assisting with the
development of a long-term recovery strategy. DOC has organized
conferences, business-counseling services, workshops, and information
seminars to help retain and expand economic growth, as well as to
assist adversely affected small and medium-sized businesses.
þ USDA is making available $1.2 billion in emergency assistance for
farmers and ranchers.
Low Cost Loans For Businesses And Homeowners
þ The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved $5.8 billion
in disaster loans to over 82,000 homeowners, renters, and businesses in
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Florida. Specifically, SBA
has approved over $4.3 billion in disaster loans to more than 66,300
homeowners and renters in the region and more than 15,800 business
disaster loans for over $1.4 billion.
þ In addition, Congress passed and the President signed legislation
granting an additional $4.9 billion in disaster-lending authority to
allow SBA to continue providing disaster loans to those affected by the
hurricanes.
þ
SBA disaster loans are intended primarily for long-term rebuilding
and reconstruction of damaged homes and businesses.
þ
SBA has conducted damage inspections on more than 277,000
properties and received over 1.2 million calls into its Customer
Service Center.
þ
SBA has processed over 98 percent of the applications for economic
injury disaster loans. Over 265,000 loan applications have been
processed; disbursements have been made on over 36 percent of the
approved loans.
þ The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has provided approximately
$22 million in loans and grants to assist rural businesses.
Granting Businesses, Investors, And Other Taxpayers Relief
þ The President signed into law the Gulf Opportunity (GO) Zone Act on
December 21, 2005, to reinvigorate the Gulf Coast economy. The Act
increases business expensing, accelerates bonus depreciation, provides
expensing for demolition and cleanup expenses, and provides net
operating loss carry-backs.
þ
The Act authorized an additional $1 billion in New Markets Tax
Credit (NMTC) allocation authority to be provided to Community
Development Entities (CDEs) with a significant mission of recovery
and redevelopment in the GO Zone.
þ
The Act creates additional tax-exempt private activity bond
authority to help rebuild housing and infrastructure in the GO
Zone. Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are provided the
authority to issue a special class of private activity bonds,
called GO Zone Bonds. Bond authority is approximately $7.9 billion
for Louisiana, $4.8 billion for Mississippi, and $2.1 billion for
Alabama. Proceeds from these bonds can be used to pay for projects
including acquisition, construction, and renovation of
nonresidential real property, qualified low-income residential
rental housing, single-family residential housing, and public
utility property (e.g., gas, water, electric, and telecommunication
lines) located in the GO Zone.
þ
The Act expands access to low-income housing in the GO Zone. Under
current law, States receive allocations of low-income-housing tax
credits based on population. This provision allows States to
allocate additional housing credit amounts in years 2006 to 2008 in
the GO Zone. This will provide additional credits of approximately
$70 million for Louisiana, $37 million for Mississippi, and $17
million for Alabama.
Developing The Workforce
þ On March 6, the President signed S. 1777 extending Disaster
Unemployment Benefits for nearly 400,000 individuals who lost their
jobs as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
þ Over 37,000 Americans are enrolled in programs or services such as
temporary jobs or vocational training through the U.S. Department of
Labor (DOL)'s National Emergency Grants (NEG) program.
þ DOL has awarded $210 million in National Emergency grants across 11
states. These grants provide states with the resources to address the
employment and training needs of over 60,000 individuals.
þ Helping workers access high-growth jobs in the affected region, DOL
awarded $12 million in grants to train workers for jobs and careers in
critical industries such as construction, energy, health care,
transportation, and safety/security.
þ DOL developed partnerships with the community college systems in
Louisiana and Mississippi, helping the States establish and operate two
construction career centers aimed at training local workers.
þ Career counselors were deployed to One-Stop Career Centers near evacuee
centers and localities with high concentrations of evacuees ($15
million).
þ DOL formed a partnership in Mississippi between One-Stop Career Centers
and Manpower to encourage evacuees to return home to work. "Coming Home
Portfolios" are created and include job training, services, and job
opportunities. DOL deployed Disability Program Navigators to assist
individuals with disabilities ($5 million).
þ Beginning in May, the Regional Workforce Training Program will work to
train and deploy 20,000 new skilled workers from the affected region.
The Workforce Training Group will include representatives from unions,
contractors, the Business Roundtable, and others.
Rebuilding Lives And Communities
Providing Immediate Recovery And Relief
þ Rescue and response needs:
þ
44 states and the District of Columbia received Presidential
emergency declarations following Hurricane Katrina to house
displaced victims of the storm. This total is the most declarations
made for a single disaster in FEMA history.
þ
The Coast Guard rescued 33,000 people - six times higher than the
number of rescues in all of 2004.
þ
FEMA coordinated the rescue of more than 6,500 people and, for the
first time, deployed all 28 of its Urban Search and Rescue teams
for a single event.
þ
The combined rescues performed by these two agencies total
almost 40,000 - more than seven times the number of people
rescued during the 2004 Florida hurricanes.
þ
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) conducted response
operations that resulted in 1,428 missions that included 672
law enforcement, 128 search and rescue, 78 recovery, 444
hurricane relief, and 97 other logistical support missions. CBP
also provided food, water, and other supplies to thousands of
people affected by the hurricanes and donated over $20 million
in seized goods and humanitarian aid.
The Department of Defense (DoD) was instrumental in saving lives,
restoring order, and beginning the long, challenging process of
recovery; at the height of the DoD response, some 72,000 men and women
in uniform assisted Federal, State, and local authorities in recovery
efforts, and approximately 15,000 residents of the Gulf coast were
rescued and 80,000 others evacuated.
þ
DoD delivered critical emergency supplies - more than 30 million
meals and some 10,000 truckloads of ice and water.
þ
Military forces provided significant medical assistance, including
10,000 medical evacuations by ground and air, medical treatment of
more than 5,000 patients, and provision of more than 3,000 beds in
field hospitals, installations, and aboard U.S. Navy ships.
þ
At the request of FEMA, DoD supplied 13 mortuary teams to support
local authorities in the systematic search, recovery, and
disposition of the deceased.
þ
To assist in disease prevention, DoD aircraft flew mosquito
abatement aerial spraying missions covering more than two million
acres.
Within the first six days of the response, the Federal government
delivered more than 28 million pounds of ice, 20 million pounds of
commodities (such as fruits, juices, vegetables, meats, and grains),
8.5 million ready-to-eat meals, and 4 million gallons of water.
þ
Through USDA's various feeding programs and in partnership with
many faith-based and community organizations, over 20 million
pounds of food were delivered and served to displaced residents,
including almost 2 million pounds of baby food.
þ
Nearly 1.9 million households were signed up to receive close to
$900 million in USDA food stamps.
þ Shelter and other immediate needs:
þ
FEMA has committed $6.9 billion to date to provide shelter and direct
cash assistance to hurricane victims in the Gulf Coast, an amount more
than double the combined total of Individuals and Households Assistance
Program (IHP) dollars provided for six major U.S. natural disasters
occurring since 1992.
þ
More than 700,000 households have received apartment rental assistance
under FEMA's IHP to pay for apartments. More than $1.7 billion has been
distributed in financial rental assistance as part of FEMA's
comprehensive housing program.
þ
FEMA paid more than $560 million to provide hotel and motel rooms to
tens of thousands of families affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
who were in need of short-term sheltering.
þ
Over 16,400 HUD-assisted or homeless families are receiving up to 18
months of housing assistance through the Katrina Disaster Housing
Assistance Program (KDHAP) and the Disaster Voucher Program (DVP),
administered by HUD.
þ
Over 10,000 displaced residents were housed across the country,
primarily near the hurricane region, by the USDA and HUD.
þ
More than $17 billion has been paid to National Flood Insurance Program
policyholders. Nearly 90 percent of all claims filed have been paid.
þ
More than 1.8 million housing inspections have been completed in
Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
þ
FEMA has approved $585 million in Community Disaster Loans for
municipalities in Louisiana and Mississippi to help local authorities
maintain essential services such as law enforcement, schools, and fire
services
Meeting Longer-Term Housing Needs
þ HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson recently announced the allocation of
$11.5 billion in disaster funding among five Gulf Coast states affected
by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. The emergency funding is
provided through HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program
to specifically assist Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, and
Texas in their long-term recovery efforts. Reflecting the unique
vulnerability of New Orleans and surrounding areas, the President has
asked for another $4.2 billion in CDBG funds to buy out or elevate
homes in the most flood-prone areas and support other protective
actions.
þ HUD has placed a moratorium on foreclosures of FHA-insured homes until
June 30, 2006. The extended foreclosure relief will provide mortgagees
additional time to confirm mortgagors' intention and ability to repair
the home, help them resume regular mortgage payments, and retain
homeownership.
þ HUD's Mortgage Assistance Initiative is assisting homeowners with
FHA-insured mortgages who are unable to maintain their payment
obligations due to hurricane-related property damage by advancing their
mortgage payments for up to 12 months. This unprecedented mortgage
relief is expected to help several thousand families remain homeowners
while concentrating on repairing their homes, finding jobs, and putting
their lives back together.
þ HUD is issuing waivers to streamline existing grant programs so
grantees can reprogram existing HUD funds for disaster relief. Houston,
which received thousands of evacuees from New Orleans, was the first to
ask for a waiver of CDBG's 15 percent cap on public services. This
request was granted for the Gulf Coast states, providing communities
more flexibility.
þ HUD launched the Universities Rebuilding America Partnership (URAP)
program to empower college and university students to help rebuild the
impacted communities. In partnership with the Corporation for National
and Community Service, HUD announced these two grant programs totaling
$5 million.
þ To ensure access to discrimination-free affordable housing, HUD's
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity deployed staff to assist
evacuees reporting housing discrimination.
þ USDA is assisting rural families with funds to rebuild and repair their
damaged homes. Approximately $20 million is being made available for
grants, $210 million for direct loans, and $1.3 billion for guaranteed
loans.
Repairing And Strengthening Infrastructure
Restoring Transportation
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)'s funding of emergency repairs
has restored basic transportation services
þ Fifty percent of Louisiana's highways and 100 percent of Mississippi
highways have been repaired. Projects include:
þ
Temporary repairs completed to I-10 bridges at Slidell and
Pascagoula.
þ
Restoration of US90 eastbound between Biloxi and Bay St. Louis;
westbound restoration is underway.
þ Long-term repairs have also been initiated. Projects include:
þ
Replacement of US90 bridges at Bay St. Louis and between Biloxi and
Ocean Springs expected to be completed in late 2007.
þ
The I-10 bridge replacement at Slidell is expected to be completed
in 2009.
þ A significant portion of Louisiana and Mississippi's transit services
are operational, with 26 bus routes and two streetcar routes restored
in New Orleans. Emergency services have been established to provide
mobility for displaced persons sheltered in Baton Rouge,
Gulfport/Biloxi, and Pearl, Stone, and George Counties in Mississippi.
þ Most ports are back to full or nearly full operation, according to a
survey by the Association of Port Authorities:
þ
The Port of New Orleans recently announced that it had reached 100
percent of its pre-Katrina activity, with 70 percent of the Port's
facilities operational and 85 percent of the workforce returned.
The Port of New Orleans is again welcoming cruise ships to dock
offshore and their passengers to come ashore to tour the city.
þ
The worst-hit port, Gulfport, has 50 percent of pre-Katrina ship
calls.
Restoring Power, Gas, Oil, And Water
Daily gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has been restored to 85 percent
and daily oil production has been restored to 76 percent of pre-Katrina
levels.
þ The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) calmed petroleum markets/gas prices
and helped restore power after the storm by:
þ
Releasing crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
þ
Helping restore power to hundreds of thousands of Texans by issuing
two emergency orders to permit ERCOT power companies to provide
service into the Entergy service territory.
þ
Conducting a detailed technical meeting with Entergy and several
other utilities to discuss incorporating new technologies into
electricity system reconstruction efforts in the Southeast,
particularly New Orleans.
þ
Enabling the Collins, Mississippi, Tank Farm to be re-energized,
thus allowing total resumption of operations by the Colonial
Pipeline.
þ
Providing the Geographical Information Service coordinates to FEMA
so that supplies could be delivered to Entergy workers restoring
power in Louisiana.
þ
Coordinating delivery of fuel to Alabama company manufacturing
utility poles, which were critical in the restoration process.
þ
Facilitating an agreement among power companies and the Corps of
Engineers to restore power to the Lake Livingston (TX) Pumping
Station, which restored water to Houston and to local refineries.
þ The Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security helped maintain
power, gas, and oil distribution by:
þ
Permitting foreign-flagged ships to deliver petroleum products to
areas badly in need.
þ
Helping to find and install generators, and providing regulatory
waivers, to keep pipelines operating so that people throughout the
region and in the East had gasoline.
þ
Ensuring emergency supplies were delivered to stricken areas by
granting waivers capping trucker hours.
þ The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is monitoring energy
production in the Gulf of Mexico and repairing stream gauges to restore
flood warning throughout the region.
DOI's Minerals Management Service has taken a number of actions to
restore energy production from the Outer Continental Shelf. These
measures include expediting review of requests for temporary
barging of oil or flaring of small amounts of natural gas;
expediting the approval process for pipeline repairs; and waiving
cost-recovery fees through January 2007.
þ USDA is working to address long-term utility needs in the rural Gulf Coast
by:
þ
Repairing water and waste facilities ($45 million).
þ
Working closely with FEMA and State agencies on repairing water and
waste utility damage.
þ
Providing technical assistance for critical emergency response
assistance to water and waste facilities.
þ
Providing funding to extend out electric co-operatives principal loan
repayments for five years.
Providing Social Services, Health Care, And Education
Social Services
þ To respond to the human services and mental health needs of individuals
affected by the hurricane, the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) has awarded $550 million in Social Service Block Grants.
The funding may also be used to provide health care to
hurricane-affected individuals lacking health insurance or adequate
access to care and to help health care safety net providers restore and
resume their operations. Funding was provided in varying amounts to all
50 States, with the majority going to Louisiana (40 percent),
Mississippi (23 percent), Texas (16 percent), and Florida (10 percent).
Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF)
þ HHS's Administration for Children and Families TANF program is helping
over 30,000 families by providing short term, non-recurrent cash
benefits to families who traveled to another State from the
disaster-designated States. States also received additional funding for
the TANF program to provide assistance and work opportunities to needy
families ($69 million for loan forgiveness and $25 million in
contingency funds for State Welfare Programs).
Health Care Delivery And Hospitals
þ To provide health care for those in need, $2 billion was provided to
States for care through the Medicaid program (Hurricane Katrina
Waivers). States receiving Medicaid waivers include Alabama, Arizona,
Arkansas, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida,
Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Ohio,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
and Wyoming.
þ Within a week of Hurricane Katrina forcing the closure of the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in New Orleans,
mobile-health-care clinics from across the VA system were deployed to
the surrounding communities of Hammond, LaPlace, and Slidell,
Louisiana.
By December 2005, a floor of the VA nursing home adjacent to the
New Orleans Medical Center was opened as a primary care clinic.
Another floor is slated to open with limited specialty care in late
March. The mobile clinics in the three surrounding communities are
being replaced with permanent community-based outpatient clinics
(CBOCs).
þ Over 11,000 non-veterans received humanitarian care in VA clinics as a
result of the quick deployment of CBOCs.
þ From October 2005 to January 2006, new and existing outpatient clinics
in New Orleans, LaPlace, Hammond, Slidell, and other locations in the
New Orleans area treated approximately two-thirds of the number of
veteran patients treated during the same period the prior fiscal year -
exceeding expectations.
þ The VA is accelerating construction at the Biloxi campus to move all
clinical and administrative functions from Gulfport to Biloxi. They are
also considering establishing a temporary modular clinic on the
Gulfport Campus to meet space needs.
þ The VA has entered into an agreement with Louisiana State University to
explore opportunities for constructing a shared medical center in New
Orleans.
Education
Child Development and School Readiness (Head Start)
þ The Head Start program, which provides comprehensive child development
and school-readiness programs for low-income children from birth to age
5, as well as pregnant women and their families, received $90 million
to cover the costs of replacing or repairing facilities that were
damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita and that are not
covered by insurance or FEMA. The funds also covered the costs of
serving approximately 4,800 evacuee children from January 1, 2006, to
the end of each grantee's current school year (i.e., late May or early
June).
K-12
Progress has been made on the 1,100 schools (public and private) that were
closed following the storms, which left 372,000 students initially unable
to attend school.
þ In Mississippi, 93 percent of schools have fully or partially reopened.
þ In Louisiana, 79 percent of schools have reopened.
þ
In New Orleans, all 183 public and private schools were initially
closed after the hurricanes.
þ
Now, 17 public schools (including 14 that now operate as
charter schools) have reopened. About 14 percent of the
pre-Katrina enrollment, or 8,303 students, are now attending
public schools in the city.
þ
In the private sector, 37 of 54 schools operated by the
Archdiocese of New Orleans have now reopened in the city and
its environs.
þ
Total public and private enrollment in the city equals about 30
percent of the pre-hurricane level.
þ The U.S. Department of Education succeeded in obtaining a $1.6 billion
special appropriation from Congress to meet hurricane-related needs,
including $750 million to help public and private schools along the
Gulf Coast reopen, and $645 million to reimburse public and private
schools that enrolled students displaced by Katrina and Rita.
þ
Approximately $500 million was delivered this month under the
Immediate Aid to Restart School Operations (Restart Aid) Program to
help reopen and restart damaged schools in the states most affected
by the storms. This is on top of the $253 million in aid delivered
to the region in January.
þ
Approximately $5 million was delivered this month under the
Assistance for Homeless Youths (Homeless Aid) Program to help state
education agencies address the needs of students displaced by the
storms.
þ
The first installment of $120 million was delivered this month
under the Temporary Emergency Impact Aid for Displaced Students
(Impact Aid) Program to assist local education agencies in 49
states and the District of Columbia in paying for the cost of
educating displaced Gulf Coast students who were enrolled in public
and non-public schools.
þ The Department of Education provided more than $20 million through a
special charter school grant to Louisiana to assist in opening or
reopening charter schools in order to serve children affected by the
hurricanes. This has helped public schools in New Orleans expedite
their reopening process by reopening as charter schools.
þ The Department of Education launched a website, Hurricane Help for
Schools (www.hurricanehelpforschools.gov), to serve as a nationwide
clearinghouse resource for schools to post their needs so Americans can
help meet them. To date, more than 650 matches between needs and
contributions have been made through the site.
Higher Education
Postsecondary institutions on the Gulf Coast are also recovering:
þ 24 of 30 institutions of higher education in Louisiana have now
reopened.
þ
This figure includes 10 of the 15 that were closed in New Orleans.
þ
Two-thirds of postsecondary students in New Orleans have returned
to class.
þ Both of Mississippi's closed postsecondary institutions have reopened.
þ Postsecondary institutions in Mississippi and Louisiana received $200
million from the Department of Education to help reopen and to
compensate colleges that took in displaced students. In addition, the
Department is distributing over $18 million of unused Federal
campus-based student aid funds to severely affected colleges.
þ HUD is providing over $5 million to 16 universities through an
innovative new program that draws on the expertise of these centers for
higher learning to help rebuild Gulf Coast communities. The funding is
provided through HUD's new Universities Rebuilding America Partnership
(URAP) initiative.
Restoring The Gulf Coast Environment
þ The EPA is overseeing the cleanup of a one-million-gallon oil spill,
which impacted over 1,800 homes. EPA has also collected over 2.4
million hazardous waste containers, over 300,000 electronic goods, and
assisted in recycling over 310,000 large appliances.
þ EPA tracked operational status of water/wastewater systems, provided
technical assistance for emergency repairs and system assessments for
FEMA funding, and supplied mobile labs for testing water samples. Over
4,000 drinking water systems serving 15 million people were affected.
All but 88 of these systems have returned to safe operations.
þ The agency has also analyzed and communicated the results for over
1,800 environmental samples of floodwater and sediment, over 5,200
environmental air samples and seven proposed temporary housing sites
identified by FEMA.
þ Working closely with the State of Louisiana, EPA has six monitors that
it rotates between 15 monitoring sites throughout the state.
Reconstituting The Justice System And Prosecuting Fraud
þ The Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force was created to coordinate law
enforcement at the Federal, State, and local levels with other entities
involved in the relief and reconstruction effort. The Task Force
includes the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Criminal Division, United
States Attorneys' Offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),
the Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal
Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal
Inspectors General, and various representatives of State and local law
enforcement. There have been over 201 cases resulting from the
Taskforce's activities charging 241 defendants in 24 judicial
districts.
þ To date, ICE Federal Protective Service (FPS) Law Enforcement Officers
have conducted approximately 80 criminal investigations, made over 120
arrests and responded to thousands of calls for service. These cases
include verbal threats, brandishing of weapons, possession of firearms
and narcotics, theft of government property, and fraud.
þ FPS officers have provided more than 124,000 Patrol hours in support of
recovery efforts in Louisiana. Six months after the hurricane, FPS
still provides security and law enforcement support to approximately 74
facilities with more than 300 contract guards and 65 posts throughout
Louisiana. FPS has 76 Officers, Inspectors, Dispatchers, and Special
Agents deployed to Mississippi and Louisiana.
þ DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance issued 33 supplemental Byrne Justice
Assistance Grants (BJA) to state and local agencies in Alabama,
Louisiana, and Mississippi to support immediate law enforcement needs
resulting from Hurricane Katrina. DOJ also took additional steps to
ensure that grantee access to funds was not disrupted by issuing
6-month, no-cost extensions for all grants in Alabama, Louisiana, and
Mississippi.
þ The FBI obtained the authority to provide States access to the FBI's
criminal history database for the purpose of conducting background
checks on any volunteer, relief worker, or evacuee associated with
Hurricane Katrina who would have access to children.
þ DOJ helped the Louisiana Department of Corrections move approximately
4,000 inmates from New Orleans.
People Everywhere Have Made An Unprecedented Commitment To The Gulf Coast
In his Address to the Nation from New Orleans' Jackson Square on September
15, 2005, the President called on all Americans to help those affected by
Hurricane Katrina.
þ Private individuals, faith-based and community groups, and businesses
met the challenge and have contributed more than $3 billion in support
of faith-based and community organizations and disaster relief
agencies.
þ USA Freedom Corps created a nationwide information clearinghouse
allowing individuals, businesses, groups, and families to connect with
volunteer opportunities to help families in the Gulf Coast.
þ
There are currently more than 2 million volunteer opportunities
listed on the site - with approximately 20,000 in Louisiana, 16,000
in Mississippi, and over 24,000 in Alabama.
þ
The Katrina Resource Center was set up by USA Freedom Corps and the
Corporation for National and Community Service. More than 350
groups, representing over 14,000 volunteers, who contacted the
Center were either matched with potential relief projects or
provided additional information and referrals.
þ
Americans interested in helping with Gulf Coast recovery or seeking
a volunteer opportunity should visit www.volunteer.gov.
þ The American Red Cross recently announced financial donations and
pledges would cover the $2.116 billion estimated cost for its response
to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. The generous financial support
from around the world allowed more than 225,000 Red Cross disaster
relief workers-95 percent of them volunteers-to ensure that survivors
had a safe place to stay, food and comfort, and the means to provide
essential items for themselves and their families. Survivors received
counseling, basic health care and family-connecting services. This was
accomplished on an unprecedented scale. The Red Cross provided:
þ
More than 3.4 million overnight stays in nearly 1,200 Red Cross
shelters.
þ
More than 34 million meals and 30 million snacks.
þ
Emergency financial assistance to more than 1.4 million
families-more than 4 million people.
þ Former Presidents Bush and Clinton have led a private fundraising
effort that has already received pledges of more than $100 million to
aid the Gulf Coast's recovery.
þ The U.S. State Department received $126 million in cash donations for
Katrina relief and recovery from foreign governments, international
organizations, and private sources in the weeks and months following
Katrina's landfall.
þ
The State Department transferred $66 million to FEMA in early
October to finance a case management program to assess the needs of
100,000 households affected by Katrina.
þ
The State Department is finalizing arrangements to transfer the
balance of international donations - $60.4 million - to the U.S.
Department of Education to implement reconstruction programs for
schools and universities in the areas damaged by Katrina,
including:
þ
Restoring K-12 schools and libraries.
þ
Funding for higher education institutions, particularly
Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
þ
Plans for the State Department to transfer these funds to the
Department of Education imminently, with the expectation that
the Department will have the funds to the schools as rapidly as
possible.
þ The Corporation for National and Community Service, working in
cooperation with the Red Cross, FEMA, and State and local authorities,
has helped more than 13,000 national service volunteers contribute to
the hurricane relief and recovery effort across the country. Senior
Corps, AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, and special volunteer
program volunteers have established and operated shelters, provided
meals and social services to evacuees, assisted with communications,
coordinated the warehousing and distribution of donated goods, answered
phones, cleared debris, provided information on housing and other
resources, organized childrens' activities, raised funds, and managed
tens of thousands of additional community volunteers, among other
activities.
þ For the first time in its history, the Peace Corps worked within the
borders of the United States and served as Applicant Services
Specialists in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. In
their assignments, volunteers performed a variety of tasks, including
processing applications for assistance at Disaster Recovery Centers,
providing information on FEMA benefits, tracking the status of
applications, providing referrals, and providing mitigation
information. In some instances, volunteers served as Individual
Assistance Team Leaders. Others served as trainers, teaching hundreds
of new FEMA employees and volunteers. In December, when New Orleans'
Lower Ninth Ward reopened, Crisis Corps Volunteers were instrumental in
ensuring that the Disaster Recovery Center was operational and open to
serve the needs of the returning residents.
Learning The Lessons Of Hurricane Katrina
The Administration Released Its Review Of The Federal Response To Hurricane
Katrina. The President's charge to evaluate the Federal government's
response to the storm resulted in the report and recommendations released
by the Administration, The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons
Learned. The product of an extensive review, led by the President's
Homeland Security Advisor Fran Townsend, the Report identifies deficiencies
in the Federal government's response and lays the groundwork for
transforming how the Nation - including every level of government, the
private sector, communities, and individuals - pursues a real and lasting
vision of emergency preparedness and response.
The Lessons Learned Report Assesses The Federal Response, Identifies
Lessons Learned, And Recommends Appropriate Corrective Actions. The Report
identifies the systemic problems in Federal emergency preparedness and
response revealed by Hurricane Katrina - and the best solutions to address
them. The Lessons Learned report includes:
þ 17 lessons the Executive Branch has learned after reviewing and
analyzing the response to Katrina;
þ 125 specific recommendations to the President, which have been reviewed
by relevant Federal departments and agencies, and will now enter an
implementation process; and
þ 11 critical actions to be completed before June 1, 2006 - the first day
of the next hurricane season.
Hurricane Katrina And Its Aftermath Provide Us With The Imperative To
Design And Build A Unified System. The Lessons Learned Report confirms the
imperative of integrating and synchronizing the Nation's homeland security
policies, strategies, and plans across Federal, State, and local
governments, as well as the private sector, non-governmental organizations,
faith-based groups, communities, and individuals. To achieve this, the
Report identifies three immediate priorities:
þ First, we must implement a comprehensive National Prepare
þ Second, we must create a Culture of Preparedness that emphasizes that
the entire Nation shares common goals and responsibilities for homeland
security; and
þ Third, we must implement corrective actions to ensure we do not repeat
the problems encountered during Hurricane Katrina.
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