NEWSROOM
Fact
Sheets Help Property Owners Navigate FEMA Programs, Regulations
April 21, 2006
BATON ROUGE
– The Louisiana Sea Grant Legal Program has developed a
series of information sheets to help people affected by Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita navigate Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) programs and related legal issues during the continuing
rebuilding process. The information sheets are available online
at http://www.laseagrant.org/comm/magazines.htm
and http://www.lsu.edu/sglegal/pubs/other.htm.
“This project
came about after our extension program partners in the LSU AgCenter
identified a need for a plainer explanation of FEMA reconstruction
guidelines,” said LSG Legal Program Director Jim Wilkins.
“In many instances, specialized federal programs and documents
are not only difficult for the general population to understand
but also for many local authorities who’ve never extensively
dealt with a particular program before.”
The information sheets
answer questions about the National Flood Insurance Program, flood
elevations, rebuilding after a flood and other reconstruction
matters.
“These
documents will play a critical role in helping people make rebuilding
decisions,” said Dr. Rod Emmer, Executive Director of the
Louisiana Floodplain Management Association, who is working with
LSG Legal on the project. “Homeowners must understand the
basics of these programs and then they will be better prepared
to determine if they qualify for them. The increased cost of compliance
is one such program that offers a way to better protect lives
and property.”
Since its
establishment in 1968, Louisiana Sea Grant has worked to promote
stewardship of the state’s coastal resources through a combination
of research, education and outreach programs critical to the cultural,
economic and environmental health of Louisiana’s coastal
zone. Louisiana Sea Grant, based at Louisiana State University,
is part of the National Sea Grant Program, a network of 32 programs
in each of the U.S. coastal andGreat Lakes states and Puerto Rico/U.S.
Virgin Islands.
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