More than a half a million dollars in grant monies comes from FEMA’s Expanded Mitigation Strategies Planning Grant Pilot. The program allows jurisdictions with FEMA-approved local hazard mitigation plans in place by Oct. 29, 2006, to apply for up to $150,000 to update their local mitigation plans. These updates will reduce the potential loss of life and property in future disasters. After submitting proposed updates, the five parishes qualified for grants worth $112,500 each.

Though all parishes will use the allotted monies to update their existing hazard mitigation plans, each parish will prioritize its own mitigation needs accordingly. Acadia Parish will strengthen their current hazard mitigation plan by analyzing projects that arose after hurricanes Katrina and Rita and any subsequent hazard events. Updates to the plan include adding a list of properties with flood and drainage problems or severe repetitive loss.

"This grant will help us to identify and define projects that, once implemented, will be very beneficial in reducing damage to property and, perhaps, saving lives," said Lee Hebert, Acadia Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

To update its current hazard mitigation plan, Jefferson Davis Parish will review identified projects for design and engineering feasibility, environmental and cultural resource consideration, benefit cost analysis and cost estimating.

Jefferson Parish, with one of the highest rates of repetitive loss properties in the nation, has earmarked monies for projects to identify repetitive loss properties and strengthen critical facilities. These projects will be reviewed for design and engineering feasibility, environmental and cultural resource consideration, benefit cost analysis and cost estimating before being incorporated in the parish’s current hazard mitigation plan.

"This planning grant will allow Jefferson Parish to update our previously approved FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan based on experiences from Katrina/Rita and conduct necessary project scoping for hazard mitigation projects that will reduce or eliminate long-term risk for our citizens and their property," said Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard.

St. Helena Parish will compile a list of mitigation projects to address flooding and drainage problems throughout the parish. It will focus on improvements to current flood prone areas, including Margaret’s Shop Lane; Under the Hill Street; Pumping Station, Rohner, Leggett, Dennis Lee, Leonard Chapel and Hano Roads and Bobcat Trail Creek.

"I’m excited about receiving the money," said St. Helena Parish Emergency Management Director Mark Harrell. "With that money, we will update our mitigation plans and conduct studies on drainage projects, which is a big issue in St. Helena Parish."

To update its plan, Tangipahoa Parish will review identified projects for design and engineering feasibility, environmental and cultural resource consideration, benefit cost analysis and cost estimation. The parish will then coordinate these projects with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan currently being developed for the parish.

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides grants to states and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration, to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster.