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LRA approves the remainder of its $200 million budget for long term community recovery
Newly-embraced Spirit of Regionalism recognized as crucial to long term recovery

During its October meeting, Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) Board of Directors adopted Long Term Community Recovery Plans for Lafayette, Lafourche, St. Tammany and Terrebonne parishes. Resonating throughout all of the presentations, and in the ensuing discussion, was the idea that Louisiana parishes must work together as one entity.

LRA Board Member Walter Leger, Jr. of Arabi identified this new "spirit of regionalism" as a positive outcome imparted by the tragic lesson of the hurricanes, stating: "we need to remember that we are one region, and we are all in the same battle together."

Since June 2007, the LRA Board has approved 98% of the $200 million in federal funding allocated for long term community recovery efforts in Louisiana. The funding for this program is part of $10.4 billion in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds that have been allocated to Louisiana to implement housing, economic development, and infrastructure projects that will speed parish recovery. Funds from the $200 million Long Term Community Recovery Program have been distributed among parishes in the most heavily impacted areas of the state. Funding is determined according to a formula that is based on estimated housing and infrastructure damages inflicted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The formula was agreed upon by local officials and approved by the LRA Board of Directors earlier this year.

Twelve parishes and the City of New Orleans have accessed these funds by submitting priority projects for approval by the LRA Board of Directors. The Louisiana Office of Community Development (OCD) will distribute the funds.

"These funds, although not nearly enough to address the magnitude of the recovery issues we face, will help communities begin to fund local high priority recovery projects," said Suzie Elkins, Executive Director, OCD.

Parishes approved for funding through the Long Term Community Recovery Program include St. Bernard, Vermillion, Calcasieu, Cameron, Plaquemines, St. Mary, Beauregard, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lafourche, St. Tammany, and Terrebonne. In order to be approved for funding, parish leaders had to identify priority projects from the parishes' local recovery plans, which were developed in 2006 by FEMA's ESF-14 division through the Louisiana Speaks Parish Planning initiative. The Louisiana Speaks Parish Plans identify and prioritize specific projects that will contribute to immediate recovery in 27 hurricane-affected parishes. All plans were developed with grassroots input from citizens and local community leaders. Click here to visit the Louisiana Speaks Parish Planning Tool, which provides detailed information about each of the 27 parish plans.

"Two years ago it would have been difficult to find a resident of South Louisiana who could visualize anything positive emerging from the destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the failure of our federal levee systems," said Donna Fraiche, Chair of the LRA's Long Term Community Planning Task Force. "But because we've taken this as an opportunity to plan, and now funds for long term recovery projects are steadily flowing, our vision for the future is materializing, and we can see that brighter days are ahead."

The Long Term Community Recovery Program and its action plan, conceived by the LRA and implemented by the Division of Administration's Office of Community Development (OCD) was approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which administers the CDBG program, on August 30, 2007.