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FEMA Funds Mitigation Measures in St. Helena Parish

A recently approved grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has designated funds to upgrade or harden three critical facilities in St. Helena Parish to reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards, particularly hurricanes.

FEMA obligated $1.1 million in grant funding to St. Helena Parish to implement mitigation measures for three essential facilities - the Emergency Operations Center, the Sheriff's Office and the Critical Access Hospital - so that they remain functional for emergency response during future hazards.

When projects are obligated by FEMA through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the funds are transferred to a Smartlink account. This allows the grantee, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, to draw down the funds as quickly as possible. The state may require additional information from the subgrantee before disbursing the funds.

"St. Helena Parish would like to thank FEMA and the Hazard Mitigation Section of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for all their hard work and support in assisting St. Helena Parish with the long process of getting the Hazard Mitigation Project approved," said Mark Harrell, director of St. Helena Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Mitigation measures for the facilities include retrofitting windows and doors with hurricane resistant fixed exterior screen systems that will protect windows from wind-related damage. The hospital will also gain a hurricane resistant roofing system designed to withstand winds up to 110 miles per hour. The exterior electrical service gear and the chiller plant will be elevated above the 1 percent annual flood level to protect against future flooding.

"Though we cannot control nature, we can lower vulnerability to damages from natural hazards by building to the risk that exists, repairing to a higher level and financially insuring structures and their contents," said Jim Stark, FEMA's director of the Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office.

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.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Source: FEMA

judythpiazza@newsblaze.com