$130,000 grant to clean up Louisiana post-Katrina canal debris

U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano has allocated $130,000 from FEMA's emergency funds for St. Bernard Parish to clean all the silt and debris from a 1,500-foot section of Blomquist Canal deposited during Hurricane Katrina

After her recent tour of New Orleans, Janet Napolitano says she's urgently allocated $130,000 for St. Bernard Parish to remove the mountains of silt and wreckage-debris from a 1,500-foot linear section of Blomquist Canal, deposited during Hurricane Katrina. See Carol Forsloff's excellent in-depth report of the current situation in New Orleans here "We are going to help St. Bernard Parish finish their canal cleanup work. Parish president Taffaro had identified canal debris removal as one of the parish's recovery priorities, and we’re committed to working with the parish and state to see this through," said Secretary Napolitano a press release today. Hurricane Katrina clogged canals across Louisiana with debris and sediment, and some, including Blomquist Canal, remain obstructed with a variety of household, yard and automotive items, and in some cases live, growing trees. In search of funding, St. Bernard Parish approached FEMA with documents detailing the canal's need for cleanup. FEMA will provide the money for the parish, which will in turn hire contractors to complete the work. Although a relatively small amount, the rapid cash-injection, the press release exlaims, '' emphasises Napolitano's promise that she would hasten the repair and cleanup of all of the the Gulf Coast's devastated neighborhoods'. Earlier she had also announced hundreds of millions of assistance dollars for such short- and long-term disaster recovery during her trip to the Gulf Coast. Yesterday, the press release from her office says, 'Napolitano took a big step toward better coordination between DHS and the State of Louisiana with the creation of the Unified Public Assistance Project Decision Team". This is designed to expedite decision-making for disputed projects between FEMA and the state. 1,000 derelict vessels, 175,000 cubic yards of debris... DHS is also currently working with state and local governments on other debris cleanup efforts across the entire state Louisiana. The U.S. Coast Guard continues its marine debris removal efforts in Louisiana waterways through an Interagency Agreement with FEMA, the press statement says. The first three stages of debris removal were completed in July 2007 with the removal of more than 1,000 derelict vessels and 175,000 cubic yards of storm-related debris. The United States' Coast Guard is currently working on an additional $20 million FEMA-funded marine debris removal project. Having completed all surveys, the Coast Guard is now in the process of hiring contractors for the additional marine debris removal work. Additionally, the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) is currently in the process of removing the remaining debris in the Lake Borgne Basin levee District Canal System. see