Posted on September 2, 2024
BATON ROUGE, La. – St. Bernard Parish Government today announced the receipt of a first-of-its-kind grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program totaling $14.8 million for construction of Phase III of the Lake Lery Marsh Creation and Rim Restoration Project near Delacroix.
The estimated project cost is approximately $21 million, which will be funded by the FEMA FMA grant administered by the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), dedicated Parish funds, and dollars from the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Parish Matching Program.
“Here in Louisiana, particularly in areas like St. Bernard Parish, we are no strangers to the devastating effects of hurricanes and natural disasters,” said Gov. Jeff Landry. “I commend FEMA, St. Bernard Parish, GOHSEP, and CPRA for their collaboration in creatively securing funding for this critical restoration project at Lake Lery. Transformative projects like this one are essential for protecting our coastal communities, providing community resilience, and reducing flood risk. This type of cooperation at every level — federal, state, and parish — is imperative to the continued success of Louisiana’s coastal program.”
This award marks the first time FEMA FMA funds have been awarded to a marsh creation and rim restoration project anywhere in the nation. The project uses a nature-based solutions approach to nourish over 400 acres of marsh and establish over two miles of armored shoreline embankment along the northern banks of Lake Lery.
“I would like to thank the local, state, and federal officials involved in helping St. Bernard Parish Government think outside of the box and leverage a new funding opportunity to restore our coast while reducing flood risk in St. Bernard Parish,” said parish president Louis Pomes.
The purpose of the FEMA FMA program is to fund “projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program [NFIP]”.
Although such projects typically involve property elevation, acquisition, or relocation, St. Bernard Parish Government instead proposed ecosystem restoration and shoreline protection as a means of buffering the existing Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) in eastern St. Bernard Parish, thereby reducing the likelihood of future storm surge impacts and NFIP claims for parish residents and businesses.
“St. Bernard Parish Government is proud to have worked closely with our federal and state partners to develop a new approach to funding large-scale coastal restoration projects in Louisiana,” said John Lane, Executive Director of St. Bernard Parish Coastal Operations. “We think that leveraging new funding sources like FEMA FMA will become increasingly critical as Deepwater Horizon-related funding eventually comes to an end.”
St. Bernard Parish used Parish funds to initiate design for this project, and the parish was able to access a new stream of funding for coastal restoration. This novel approach to utilizing FMA program funding was ultimately approved by FEMA, and CPRA agreed to provide the required 25% non-federal cost share.
“We are happy to support Parish-led projects that align with our Coastal Master Plan and further our mission of protecting and restoring Louisiana’s coast,” said CPRA Board Chairman Gordon “Gordy” Dove. “This unique funding structure between the state, the Federal Government, and St. Bernard Parish should serve as a roadmap as we explore all available funding avenues in order to complete projects that restore our coast and increase protection for our coastal communities.”
