KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |Jindal: FEMA OKs $177.6M to mitigate '08 storms
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Associated Press - June 19, 2009 5:34 AM ET
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal says FEMA has granted the state $177.6 million to support projects aimed at protecting Louisiana from future damage following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, which struck last year.
The Louisiana Recovery Authority, which approves priorities for funding in the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, set aside $125.6 million to split among 53 parishes to support programs that could include home elevations and other measures to protect areas from loss in future storms.
Another $33.3 million will go toward a pilot coastal restoration program and/or community safe houses and $17.7 million will finance state programs.
Unlike similar pools of money given to Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, this batch requires state and local governments to pay the projects' matching costs of 25%.
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