WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Congressman Charlie Melancon (LA-03) announced today that St. Bernard, Plaquemines, and Jefferson Parishes will receive $46,955,983 in federal disaster funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The grants will reimburse the local governments and school boards for 11 disaster recovery rebuilding projects resulting from Hurricane Katrina and the levee breaches in 2005.

"The catastrophic flooding of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita wiped out vibrant communities all over south Louisiana," Sen. Landrieu said. "Nearly four years later, our parishes are still struggling. These federal funds will help rebuild schools, fire stations, streets and libraries, moving our communities closer to full recovery. I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress to ensure our state has the necessary tools to rebuild from the 2005 and 2008 storms."

"For almost four years now, the people of Plaquemines and St. Bernard have been steadily working to rebuild their communities to what they were before Katrina and Rita," said Rep. Melancon. "As our recovery in south Louisiana continues, federal grants like the $47 million announced today will help rebuilding projects both large and small move forward. I will continue to fight in Congress for more recovery funding until every last school, fire station, and road in south Louisiana is rebuilt."

All of the federal grants announced today require no additional local cost share from the state or parishes, thanks to 2007 legislation Senator Landrieu, Rep. Melancon, and the other members of the Louisiana Congressional delegation worked to pass in Congress.

Plaquemines Parish President Bill Nungesser commented, "It's great that these funds are now coming through for much needed projects in Plaquemines Parish. We feel Plaquemines is ahead of the curve rebuilding and we're well on our way to 100 percent recovery."

The following federal grants were announced today:

Plaquemines Parish

• $14,318,137.29 to Build Triumph-Belair Consolidated Drainage Pump Station. After Hurricane Katrina caused major damage to both the Upper Triumph Storm Water Pump Station on the West Bank and the Belair Pump Station on the East Bank, the parish decided to consolidate the two facilities into one structure. This grant will reimburse the parish for the cost of building the new Triumph-Belair Consolidated Drainage Pump Station, which will have the same capacity and function as the two destroyed pump stations had before the storm.

• $2,552,198 to Rebuild the Buras Auditorium. Plaquemines Parish will be reimbursed for the cost of rebuilding the 12,000 square foot Buras Auditorium, which was damaged beyond repair by Hurricane Katrina's storm surge and floodwaters. The grant version announced today expands the scope of the work that will be reimbursed and increases the grant amount to more accurately reflect the costs incurred by the Parish, based on the accepted bid price for the work.

• $2,089,450.42 to Repair Buras Wastewater Treatment Plant. Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage to the Buras Wastewater Treatment Plant. The grant version announced today increases the funding amount to more accurately reflect the costs incurred by Plaquemines Parish to repair the treatment plant, and to cover additional damages not included in previous versions.

• $1,010,008 to Rebuild the District 8 Council Building in Buras. During Hurricane Katrina, high winds caused the Buras Water Tower to collapse, completely crushing the Council Building. In addition, floodwaters and storm surge destroyed the interior of the building. The version of the grant announced today increases funding to more accurately reflect the costs incurred by the Parish to replace the building.

St. Bernard Parish

• $12,621,808.50 to Repair Andrew Jackson High School. Following Hurricane Katrina and the levee breaches, floodwaters reached a height of nine feet in Andrew Jackson High School, damaging the entire interior beyond repair. This grant combines previous individual grants for repairing the school's main building, annex, and gym into one project, giving the school board more flexibility in rebuilding the high school.

• $4,169,776 to Remove Asbestos From Storm-Damaged Homes and Businesses Before Demolition. Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage to thousands of commercial and residential structures throughout the parish, leaving behind dangerous asbestos-containing debris. This grant will reimburse the parish for the cost of safely removing asbestos-containing materials prior to demolition of the storm-damaged buildings and removal of the debris.

• $3,476,351.08 to Repair Local Streets and Sidewalks in St. Bernard Parish. Local streets in the parish were damaged both from Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters and from the resulting heavy debris removal equipment that traveled through the parish. This grant will reimburse the parish for the cost of repairing streets and sidewalks throughout the community.

• $1,759,439.20 to Replace Fire Station #7. This grant will enable the Parish to replace the damaged one-story fire station building with a two-story structure.

• $1,826,932.98 to Repair the St. Bernard Civic Center. This grant will reimburse the Parish for repairing the St. Bernard Civic Center, which suffered extensive damage during and after Hurricane Katrina.

• $1,371,725.81 to Replace Library Contents at Nunez Community College. This grant will assist Nunez in replacing library publications that were destroyed by the storm surge and flooding from levee breaches caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Jefferson Parish

• $1,760,155.55 to Repair Harry S. Truman Middle School. This grant will reimburse the Jefferson Parish School System for repairing Truman Middle School in Marrero, which was significantly damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The version of the grant announced today increases funding to cover additional wind-related storm damages not included in previous grant versions for this project.