East Baton Rouge School Board Makes Progress On Flood Recovery

BATON ROUGE, La – The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board has received just over $50 million in federal funding to help with recovery efforts of area schools since the August 2016 floods. Sixteen schools flooded during the disaster.

  • Funding for more than 40 projects have been obligated for East Baton Rouge Parish School Board.
    • These projects include:
      • work for emergency protective measures such as mold remediation and debris removal;
      • temporary facilities for students while repairs are underway;
      • repairs to flood damaged schools and administrative offices; and
      • funding to replace school busses, equipment, and contents such as books, desks and computers.
  • 20 facilities including elementary, middle, and high schools, administrative offices, a physical plant, nutrition services, and a professional development center within the East Baton Rouge School System will benefit from this disaster assistance.
  • Recent East Baton Rouge Parish School Board obligations include:
    • Nearly $2.5 million to replace contents (such as furniture and school supplies) for 13 schools.
    • More than $771,240 to reimburse work related to rearranging school services such as removal, storage, and relocation of school equipment; as well as returning equipment once repairs have been made.
    • Nearly $2.2 million for repairs for Prescott Middle School, which suffered flood damage to all 8 buildings on campus.
    • More than $5.6 million to replace school buses.
  • FEMA has provided almost $3.4 million to fund temporary facilities, including classrooms, kitchens and cafeterias. This funding includes work to modify existing space or lease modular units in order to limit the disruption for students while work is underway to repair their schools.
  • Meanwhile, East Baton Rouge School Board has adopted an innovative approach to their recovery. For example, the school board has applied just over $1.9 million of disaster assistance funding for Glen Oaks High School to the construction of a new 25,000 square-foot building. This building will include classrooms, a media center, and labs, as well as a new green space for recreational use.
  • Overall, FEMA has reimbursed Louisiana schools more than $160 million for disaster-related projects through its Public Assistance program to assist with the August 2016 flood recovery.
  • To date in total, the PA program has reimbursed more than $550 million to state and local government entities as well as certain private nonprofits for August 2016 flood-related expenses.
  • FEMA has a long-term commitment to help Louisiana communities and critical infrastructure recover from the disaster.

 

 

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