Governor Jindal Issues Executive Order on Oyster Damage Inspections

BATON ROUGE , La. (September 16, 2008) – Governor Jindal schedules a one day damage inspection period to inspect for silt and vegetative overburden on oyster leases for Thursday, September 18, 2008.

Strain puts out statewide call for hay and feed donations

BATON ROUGE , La. (September 16, 2008) – Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., has put out a statewide call for donations of hay and cattle feed to supply cattle in coastal areas left stranded by the storm surge of Hurricane Ike.

“There are thousands of cattle stranded by high water in Cameron, Vermilion, Plaquemines, Lafourche, Terrebonne and other parishes and they’re going to need hay and feed,” Strain said. “If you can donate hay or feed, call the Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association and give them your information.”

Strain said the LDAF will distribute the hay to the areas where it is needed most.

The phone number for the Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association is 225-343-3491. The phone number for the LDAF is 225-922-1234 or 800-558-9741.

Strain said receipts for the donations can be obtained through the Louisiana Cattleman’s Association, the National Cattlemen’s Foundation and the Fellowship of Christian Farmers among others.

Governor Jindal Taps LRA to Lead Recovery from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike

BATON ROUGE, La. (September 15, 2008) – Governor Bobby Jindal on Monday issued an executive order charging the Louisiana Recovery Authority with leading the state’s recovery from hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater will serve as the Governor’s Authorized Representative to FEMA for the Public Assistance program in Louisiana for Gustav and Ike. FEMA’s Public Assistance program reimburses public entities, usually local governments, for repairs to or the rebuilding of damaged facilities.

“Our state has learned many lessons in our more than three years of recovering from devastating hurricanes. We will use this knowledge to speed the pace of recovery for areas affected by Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike,” Rainwater said. “Our commitment to rebuilding safer and stronger is not limited to one region affected by one storm. We must restore our communities all across Louisiana and, working together, we will.”

During his first day in office, Governor Bobby Jindal issued an Executive Order directing the LRA to be responsible for the state’s actions with regard to FEMA’s Public Assistance program for hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) operates the Public Assistance program under Rainwater’s direction.

Working together, the LRA and GOHSEP introduced the state-administered “Express Pay System,” which cut the length of time applicants to the Public Assistance program wait for reimbursements from two months to around one week, speeding the flow of hundreds of millions of recovery funds to affected parishes.

The LRA will also serve as the State Hazard Mitigation Team for the recovery associated with hurricanes Gustav and Ike for purposes of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.