Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the state has published its proposed action plan for spending $600 million in federal funding for recovery from Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Louisiana is the first of the 10 states receiving federal funds as part of the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act to publish its action plan.
The Louisiana Office of Community Development is scheduling a series of public hearings in impacted areas to receive comments and input on the plan. The public comment period will be open for a minimum of 30 days.
“By proactively preparing our state’s action plan, we are taking the first step in getting long awaited federal assistance on the ground in our communities that are still recovering,” Gov. Edwards said. “With the allocated funding, we will be able to address housing, economic revitalization, infrastructure and planning programs, which is why we need the public to participate in these hearings and provide input on the state’s plan to ensure program priorities are aligned with community needs.”
Gov. Edwards added that although this is an important start, he continues to work with Louisiana’s congressional delegation to secure additional funds for these and other disasters that affected the state in the past two years.
To view the plan and submit comments, go to https://www.doa.la.gov/doa/ocd/policy-and-reports/apa/.
The state will host five public hearings as follows:
In Person
10 a.m.
Wednesday, March 9
Alexandria Convention Hall
915 Third St.
Alexandria, LA 71301
In Person
10 a.m.
Wednesday, March 16
Ouachita Parish Fire Department Training Center & Public Safety Building
1080 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.Monroe, LA 71292
In Person
6 p.m.
Wednesday, March 9
Seed Center
4310 Ryan St.
Lake Charles, LA 70605
In Person
6 p.m.
Wednesday, March 16
Shreveport Government Plaza
505 Travis St.
Shreveport, LA 71101
Virtual
4 p.m. Monday, March 14
Register Here for Meeting
To learn more about public hearings and to register for the virtual meeting, visitrestore.la.gov/action-plan.
After incorporating public comments, the state will submit the plan to HUD for final approval. Once HUD approves the plan, the state can access the federal funds and launch the Restore Louisiana programs, such as the following:
- $189 million for the Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program to address the rehabilitation of owner-occupied households, with a focus on serving the most vulnerable populations.
- $107.6 million for the Affordable Rental and Homeless Prevention programs to repair and increase the inventory of affordable rental housing for impacted renters and provide affordable rental housing for residents displaced by the storms.
- $5.1 million for Economic Recovery and Revitalization programs that provide loans, grants, and technical assistance to small businesses.
- $196 million for infrastructure and non-federal cost-share assistance programs.
- $78 million for mitigation investments that improve resilience.
To accelerate the application process, OCD launched a survey on Feb. 1 for homeowners who sustained FEMA-determined major/severe damage from Laura and/or Delta. The survey is the first step in registering for the Restore Louisiana program and is available at restore.la.gov or by calling 866.735.2001.
A copy of the action plan is available by calling 225.219.9600. For translations of the action plan, see the following:
- Vietnamese: Muốn biết thêm chi tiết về Kế Hoạch Hành Động, xin gọi số 225.219.9600 hoặc viết về địa chỉ điện thư janice.lovett@la.gov.
- Spanish: Para más información sobre el plan de acción, llame al 225.219.9600 o email janice.lovett@la.gov.
