BATON ROUGE, La. — The Department of Public Safety (Louisiana State Police) will receive $1.8 million in federal assistance for emergency protective measures taken to ensure the public’s safety following the August 2016 floods. Eligible costs of disaster-related services, including search and rescue operations, emergency escorts, traffic control, evacuation and first responder operations, will be reimbursed with this grant.
Funding is obligated through FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program. The department has been awarded more than $5.7 million for this disaster for emergency protective measures.
As of July 6, FEMA’s PA program has obligated more than $388 million to state and local governments and certain private nonprofits. Of the total amount, more than $281 million was designated to reimburse for eligible emergency protective measures taken during the August disaster. PA also covers debris removal costs associated with the floods.
FEMA’s PA program helps to repair or replace critical infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, public buildings and schools. PA offers supplemental financial assistance on a cost-sharing basis. FEMA typically reimburses 75 percent of eligible PA expenses, however, FEMA will reimburse applicants 90 percent of eligible PA expenses given the magnitude of the August 2016 floods.
