Pelican State News

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced Louisiana is receiving $6,900,000.00 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) for a Resilience Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Program. The program supports mitigation projects at the local government level to reduce vulnerability to natural disasters. Louisiana will receive the largest amount of any state in this round of Resilience RLF Program funding.

“This is exactly the type of program Louisiana needed the infrastructure law, and now our state is set to receive more than any other state,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This funding will be a new resource for Louisiana to prepare for future storms and rebuild from previous ones.”

The IIJA provided $500 million for the STORM Act to provide support through loans and grants to local communities facing rising water levels, coastal erosion, and flooding that have put homes and property at risk. This funding will help prevent millions of dollars in damages.

During the negotiations for the bipartisan infrastructure law, Cassidy worked to secure three main priorities, among others, to make Louisiana better prepared for the next major disaster. One, the stabilization of the power grid to ensure reliable electricity even during extreme weather events. Two, improvements to major roads and bridges to expedite future evacuation and relief efforts. And three, investments in flood mitigation and coastal restoration to protect residents from heavy rains and storm surges.

Original source can be found here.