In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the State of Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), in concert with other Gulf Coast States, requested the establishment of a pilot grant program to support development of more detailed hazard mitigation project descriptions.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) responded in early 2006 with initial guidance for an Expanded Mitigation Strategies Pilot Grant Program and since that time, Witt Associates has been assisting GOHSEP with the development and implementation of the State of Louisiana Planning Pilot Grant Program (PPGP). The intent of the PPGP is to identify prioritized projects for parishes and communities that will be screened to determine relative feasibility, cost-effectiveness and environmental/cultural resource considerations for future funding opportunities. To date, more than 50 parishes, local communities, and institutions have applied for the program and more than $10 million planning grants will be awarded. It is anticipated that hundreds of feasible and cost-effective hazard mitigation projects will be “scoped” as a result of this program.

In addition, Witt Associates has contracted with individual parishes across the State to provide direct assistance under this program. The work involves the following basic steps:

• Identification of a comprehensive list of potential mitigation projects, building on existing hazard mitigation strategies but ensuring that all hazards are addressed and accounting for all critical and essential facilities.
• Evaluation of the compiled mitigation project list to confirm feasibility, determining relative cost-effectiveness and identifying environmental and cultural resource considerations.
• Prioritization and further documentation of projects with the highest potential to provide effective risk reduction such that with little effort, the projects can be submitted for future funding opportunities.

The PPGP, as developed by GOHSEP with Witt Associates’ assistance, will yield substantial results by improving the identification of appropriate hazard mitigation projects to implement in the State of Louisiana and accelerating the grant approval process by pre-screening projects relative to federal cost-effectiveness and environmental criteria.