Three members of Mississippi’s congressional delegation are putting the pressure on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to shore up funds for repairs related to damage from Hurricane Katrina more than 20 years after the natural disaster bludgeoned the Gulf Coast.
According to Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich, FEMA owes the city $34 million in sewer system repairs that were planned nearly two decades ago, though local and state officials have since sought to pursue an increase in project funding of more than $111 million due to rising labor and supplies costs. FEMA has denied the upped funding twice, contending that local officials had misused money it previously received from the federal agency.
In a letter penned to Keith Turi, acting associate administrator for response and recovery at FEMA, U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, along with U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, publicly backed Biloxi’s appeal to the federal government’s latest denial of funding for the post-Katrina projects.
“Biloxi has made remarkable progress rebuilding its critical infrastructure after one of the most devastating hurricanes in our nation’s history. But nearly 20 years later, FEMA still hasn’t fully met its obligation to the people of Biloxi. It’s past time to fix that,” Ezell said.
“This appeal is about fairness, accountability, and ensuring our Gulf Coast communities get the support they were promised. Inflation and rising construction costs have only made this situation more urgent,” he continued. “FEMA needs to correct its mistake and fully fund these remaining repairs so Biloxi can finish the job once and for all.”
According to the congressional delegation, FEMA has acknowledged that key cost factors, including contingencies, inflation, contractor overhead, and permitting, were unintentionally omitted from its original estimate for Biloxi’s infrastructure repair project. Without those adjustments, the city is believed to have faced significant funding shortfalls in completing the necessary work.
The officials representing Mississippi further asserted that Biloxi is tasked with appealing FEMA’s decision to deny additional funds because of a blatant error by the agency in bracing for fluctuating prices in the sewer project. FEMA is accused of not initially taking advantage of a cost-estimating system for large projects, which, in turn, is said to have put Biloxi in a bind.
“Inflationary pressures have led to increased costs across all construction-related materials, including fuel, labor, PVC pipe, concrete, and asphalt,” the letter to FEMA reads. “In its December 20, 2019, letter to the State, FEMA agreed that it did not utilize the Cost Estimating Format means as required for estimating large, complex multi-year projects.”
As of October of this year, Biloxi is reported to have completed more than $318 million of an overarching $366 million infrastructure repair project, with two other construction projects slated to be completed by December. Biloxi officials, as part of their recent appeal, are urging FEMA to cover the full cost of the two remaining projects, and to pay the full sum that they have requested.
“We encourage FEMA to change course on this matter and to grant the City of Biloxi’s second appeal,” the letter further reads. “We appreciate your attention to this matter, and will follow your progress closely.”
The letter comes amid President Donald Trump’s campaign to phase out FEMA and shift emergency response power to individual states. Current FEMA officials have blasted the agency’s past handling of natural disasters, adding that there was too much bureaucracy and red tape for local communities to overcome to get the assistance they needed.