The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has teamed up with FEMA to provide more than $9.4 billion in disaster aid funds to the state.
The funds were divided into five categories in order to ensure aid is distributed appropriately. Almost $1.1 billion went to public assistance, which included public buildings and utilities, emergency protective measures, state parks and facilities, and roads and bridges.
An additional $1.3 billion went to 216,437 families and individuals to finance housing assistance, and 134,051 Hurricane Katrina survivors who qualified for what is referred to as "other needs assistance."
Another $1.3 billion was designated for debris removal, which was broken down into $222 million specifically for marine debris and $790 million for land. As of Dec. 15, 2006, 45 million cubic yards of debris had been cleared from public as well as private property statewide.
FEMA has granted a six-month extension on land-based debris removal in flooded areas of three coastal counties. The U.S. Coast Guard has eliminated more than 43,000 cubic yards of marine debris from the area. The removal of marine rubble and waste will be federally funded until May 15 of this year.
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