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September 24, 2007
LA-1603-07-07-725
FEMA
News Desk: 504-762-2477
Hurricane Rita
struck less than a
month after Katrina
had devastated the
Gulf Coast. At one
point, Rita reached
Category 5 strength
before weakening to
Category 3, making
landfall Sept. 24,
2005, near Johnson
Bayou, Louisiana.
The storm pounded
the coast of Texas
and Louisiana and
generated a tidal
surge that
devastated homes and
businesses in Holly
Beach, Cameron and
other small
Louisiana
communities in its
path.
"While many
people associate the
2005 hurricane
season with Katrina,
Hurricane Rita also
left a trail of
devastation," said
Gil Jamieson, FEMA’s
Associate Deputy
Administrator for
Gulf Coast Recovery.
"We are there for
those communities as
they recover and
rebuild, and we will
be there for them
until the job is
complete."
So far, FEMA has
provided more than
$914 million in
Public Assistance
funding toward
debris removal,
hurricane-related
emergency services
and repair and
reconstruction of
the infrastructure
that Rita damaged in
Texas and Louisiana.
FEMA has provided
more than $1.13
billion to over
400,000 households
in Louisiana and
Texas to help
families recover
from Rita. Of that
total, $935.7
million has covered
rental assistance,
temporary lodging
and housing repairs
for those affected
by the hurricane.
Another $198.8
million has been
provided through
FEMA’s Other Needs
Assistance Program
to cover loss of
personal property,
medical costs and
other serious
disaster-related
expenses not covered
by insurance.
As the recovery
from Rita
progresses, the
number of people
having to live in
FEMA-assisted
temporary housing
units has sharply
declined. A year
ago, there were
16,246 families
still living in FEMA
provided temporary
units. Over the past
year, 10,000
families have moved
out of their FEMA
travel trailers and
mobile homes and
back into permanent
housing.
FEMA has
established long
term Recovery
Offices in Louisiana
and Texas to support
the States and
communities as they
rebuild. FEMA has
offices in New
Orleans, Baton
Rouge, and Lake
Charles Louisiana,
as well as offices
in Austin and
Beaumont, Texas.
Many of FEMA’s
employees were hired
from the local area.
"One of the things I
am most proud of is
that we have been
able to put
residents back to
work, helping to
rebuild their own
communities," said
Jamieson.
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