From: Office of the Governor    Filed 7/7/08  GCN

(JACKSON, Mississippi) – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has formally approved the State of Mississippi’s “Ground Zero” action plan, which directs about $200 million of federally awarded Hurricane Katrina recovery funding exclusively to Hancock County.

“When Senator Roger Wicker and Congressman Gene Taylor joined me in March to announce our intentions to implement a plan specifically for Katrina’s ‘Ground Zero’ impact area, Mississippians had no doubt about the tremendous recovery needs in Hancock County, where damage was most severe,” Governor Barbour said. “We appreciate HUD officials understanding the plight of Hancock County’s people and supporting our action plan.”

The funding is sourced from a $5.4 billion Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) recovery package that Congress appropriated for Mississippi’s hurricane recovery needs. All CDBG funding is administered through HUD.

With HUD’s approval of the Ground Zero Action Plan, local governments in Hancock County may now submit proposals for specific projects. Specific proposals, due by August 8, will be reviewed by the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) on how well they contribute to the overall Hurricane Katrina recovery effort.

From there, communities with proposals that meet Ground Zero’s Katrina recovery mission will be invited to submit more detailed project applications. Each project must be approved based on HUD regulations.