The following excerpt is from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency website:
"NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced today nearly $3.8 million to the St. Bernard Parish School Board as additional funding for complete restoration of several of Chalmette High School’s Katrina-damaged athletic facilities.
“CHS provides its students with an extensive athletic program. Hurricane Katrina damaged many of the school’s athletic facilities, and joint recovery efforts remain underway to ensure these facilities are entirely repaired so the athletic program can fully operate,” said FEMA’s Louisiana Recovery Office Deputy Director of Programs Andre Cadogan. “Our most recent funding supports continued recovery efforts at both CHS’s baseball and football stadiums.”
New FEMA-funded work at CHS’s baseball field facility includes the replacement of the school’s concession/restroom building, dugout repairs, seating and fencing repairs. Recovery work funded at CHS’s football field facility includes both “home side” and “visitor side” repairs at the concession buildings and press boxes, as well as bleacher repairs.
“We appreciate the continued support of FEMA in funding the recovery work at the Chalmette High School athletic facilities,” said St. Bernard Parish Superintendent of Schools Doris Voitier. “FEMA has been a valued partner in our total recovery, and we look forward to a shared effort to complete all of our projects.”
Construction on the athletic field facilities began in April 2010 and is expected to be complete in 2012.
“High school sports tend to bring community members together. So in addition to the students, hopefully these restored athletic facilities will also be enjoyed by their families and friends too,” added Cadogan.
Including this grant, FEMA has provided approximately $438 million in total to the St. Bernard Parish School Board for Katrina and Rita related recovery work necessary to restore many of their storm-damaged facilities.
When FEMA approves projects through its supplemental Public Assistance grant, the funds are made available to the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness, who disburses them to the applicant for eligible work completed.
The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to fund recovery measures and the rebuilding of government and certain private nonprofit organizations’ buildings, as well as roads, bridges and water and sewer plants. In order for the process to be successful, federal, state and local partners coordinate to draw up project plans, fund these projects and oversee their completion.
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards."
