Louisa schools get $3.2 million from FEMA

Louisa schools get $3.2 million from FEMA

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Friday that it will provide $3.2 million to help Louisa County replace Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, which was damaged in the Aug. 23 earthquake.

The estimated cost to replace the school is $13.7 million. Insurance is expected to provide $9.4 million, and the FEMA grant will provide 75 percent of the balance.

Damages from the quake caused Louisa school officials to make changes in where students would attend classes this academic year.

Students at Thomas Jefferson moved into mobile classrooms in September. Engineering tests showed the school building is beyond repair.

The new elementary school will have more than 85,000 square feet, with 41 classrooms, a cafeteria, a gym, and music, art and multimedia rooms. Also planned are sufficient administrative, storage, mechanical, lobby, common and personal service areas to support student capacity.

Damage to Louisa County High School forced students there to share space at Louisa Middle School, and schedules were shifted. High-schoolers attended on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while middle-school classes were on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

That changed this past Wednesday, when the 1,500 high school students moved into modular units. That allowed all students to return to five-day schedules.

According to a news release from FEMA and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, this is FEMA’s first public-assistance grant of more than $1 million to help Virginia following the magnitude-5.8 earthquake.

“FEMA’s help following the earthquake has greatly assisted our local school system,” Louisa Superintendent Deborah Pettit said in a release. “Louisa is a ‘can-do’ place, but we will forever appreciate the additional help.”

The federal funding was announced by Gov. Bob McDonnell and U.S. Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner.

A press release from Webb’s office Friday noted that after FEMA initially refused to provide disaster aid last October, both senators objected and intervened.

“Senator Webb wrote FEMA Administrator S. Craig Fugate to request a detailed rationale for the denial, and Senator Warner worked with local and state officials to collect additional information for FEMA,” the release noted.

The release added that Webb and Warner later joined the Virginia congressional delegation in writing to Fugate to support an appeal of the denial.

“The quake caused structural damage to churches, schools, and even caused the shutdown of nuclear power stations in North Anna,” Webb said. “Today’s announcement for the Louisa County School Board is a positive step toward the area’s recovery and a welcomed reversal of FEMA’s original denial.”

In the same release, Warner added, “The damage to school buildings caused a tremendous disruption within the community, and a lot of people at the local, state and congressional levels worked hard to make sure FEMA re-evaluated and reconsidered this funding request.”

Louisa schools get $3.2 million from FEMA - The News Desk