[FoCHAT] CHAT-Fri. NO City Hall Trailer Mtg.; Elevation Grant Primer

Thu Jun 26 11:10:11 PDT 2008

Dear Citizens Concerned About Trailers in NOLA or Elevation Grants from Road Home,

1. From Melanie Ehrlich, CHAT, http://chatushome.com

Please see below for the trailer meeting at New Orleans City Hall on June 27.

There will be a number of other CHAT newsletters in the coming days and posting updates at our website. Sign on to get those emails too at chatushome.com. Only your email address is needed and we share it with no one else. It's free.
2. The important 2-hour June 18 CHAT meeting will be showing (thanks again to COX10 and producer George Blow!) on:

Tues., June 24, 2 PM; Wed., June 25, 4 PM; Thurs., June 26, 8 AM; Fri., June 27, 2 PM; Sun., June 29, 2:30 PM; Mon., June 30, 3:30 PM; Tues., July 1, 2 PM; Wed., July 2, 4 PM; Thurs., July 3, 8 AM; Sat., July 5, 11 AM. 
 Are there any volunteers to make copies at cost for applicants out of the viewing area? We have received requests for this.

3. Elevation Grants:

There are two types and the rules for both came from LRA with fed. govt. approval:

Road Home (RH) Elevation Incentive and

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Grants (HMGP, from FEMA; until 2008 the public had been told by LRA that RH grant money would not be used for elevation grants, only the FEMA-HMGP $1.2 billion would be used; now that money has shrunk to about $0.75 billion left for RH applicants)

The deadline has passed for applying.

Now is the waiting period even though the RH elev. grants were supposed to start flowing in April.

 RH elev. grants are not supposed to involve showing receipts for elevation and you can get them whether or not you got ICC money for elev. or demolition. You have to promise to elevate your home within 3 years.

HMGP elev. grants are more complicated.
You have to show that the elevation costs more than you may have received from ICC.
You have to show various documents, for example, contracts for elevation and receipts and other proof that the work was done.  

The biggest complication comes from LRA-OCD being very slow to do their part of the processing.

We have heard that they are delaying forwarding to FEMA the documentation for all of the applicants who indicated that they are interested in HMGP elevn. grants.

We have heard that they are delaying forwarding FEMA's approval to many thousands of applicants whom FEMA has already approved.

This puts those applicants at risk for being disqualified for the HMGP elev. grant.

 Why? Please read below the details that LRA should be telling all applicants but did not explain to them except at some public meetings.

Applicants who have signed contracts, bills, and building permits for elevation from before Mar. 16 are automatically eligible for the HMGP elevation grant. Their names still have to be sent by the State to FEMA.
Applicants who did not have proof that they started the actual physical work of elevation by Mar. 16 have to get that approval from FEMA before they sign a contract to elevate. Otherwise, they would not be eligible for HMGP-FEMA money although they would be eligible for the RH elevation incentive.
Even if applicants had not started elevation before Mar. 16, they should only have to wait about 2-4 weeks from the time the State sends their name to FEMA until they get approved by FEMA and then can start their elevation if the State sends them notification of FEMA approval rapidly. FEMA is apparently processing the names sent to it quickly but it seems that LRA is being very slow.

A very small percentage of applicants who have special historical or environmental situations will have a longer delay (up to several months, according to a FEMA official) between the time that the State approves them for elevation allowances and sends their name to FEMA and when FEMA approves them.

(From LouisianaREBUILDS.info a great free resource:
 "If you have questions about the Road Home Elevation Incentive or the State HMGP Awards call the Road Home Elevation Technical Assistance Hot Line at 877-234-1513."

Email for OCD: ocd at lra.gov  

What about the promised$7500  RH mitigation allowances for shutters, raising air-conditioning, etc.?

Until 2008 the public had been told by LRA that RH grant money would not be used for elevation grants, only the available FEMA-HMGP $1.2 billion would be used. 

In January, FEMA made an historic exception for Louisiana to let the elevation money flow to RH applicants and to allow those who had already begun elevation work before Mar. 16 to qualify. 

However, it isn't flowing.

Now (in 2008) that HMGP money is only $0.75 billion left for helping RH applicants.

LRA-OCD have removed any mention of the $7500 from the Road Home policy book on line 
http://road2la.org/homeowner/resources.htm#policies.

This is not the way to encourage storm victims to build safer and smarter, as per Road Home's motto!

4. For Road Home applicants and others concerned about trailers on home lots:
Want to be involved in the discussion about trailers in New Orleans?

Then come to the City Council’s
COMMUNITY MEETING
To discuss the issue 
Friday, June 27
4 pm-7pm
in the City Council Chambers at City Hall
1300 Perdido Street
New Orleans, LA 70112

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.thinknola.com/pipermail/fochat/attachments/20080626/7573690c/attachment.html 