FEMA announces $29 million in public assistance grants to Miss

Published 7:28 pm Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved four Hurricane Katrina-related projects in Mississippi totaling over $29 million, officials said Monday.

The largest public assistance grant — $18,399,744 — goes to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to pay for some of the help Mississippi received from Florida in the immediate aftermath of the Aug. 29, 2005 hurricane.

The $18 million grant, along with $15 million previously awarded, represents funding for the labor, equipment and material expenses for 18 mission assignments handled by Florida.

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FEMA said it had provided 100 percent funding for a total of $48,849,131 to MEMA to reimburse states that came to Mississippi’s aid.

The agency also approved $5.9 million to the city of Waveland to make permanent repairs to roads damaged as sewer lines are replaced south of the railroad tracks.

Other grants went to Jackson County, for a new precast concrete fishing pier to replace the Ocean Springs pier that was destroyed, and for repairs to St. Stanislaus College Preparatory School’s Student Union Building in Bay St. Louis. The two-story structure serves as a nonreligious education center for students from grades six to twelve.

These grants come from FEMAs Public Assistance program, which provides financial assistance to state and federal governments and eligible nonprofit organizations for disaster-related cleanup and rebuilding to pre-disaster condition. The state of Mississippi pays a cost share for these projects and administers the Public Assistance grant program funds.