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Demolition
is substantially complete in all USACE areas of responsibility
except the City of New Orleans where an estimated 12,000
demolitions remain.
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Demolition
in the City of New Orleans has been managed by the city in two
phases.
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The first
phase addressed approximately 2,200 properties that were so
structurally damaged that they posed an imminent hazard of
collapse and approximately 500 properties that have been
volunteered for demolition by the property owners.
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The second
phase is addressing additional volunteered properties and those
properties that, while less structurally compromised, have been
unattended by their owners and have become a threat to public
health and safety.
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This work
could not progress in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
An elapse of time was necessary to allow residents, many of whom
were displaced, the opportunity to remediate their properties
through gutting and securing.
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USACE and
FEMA assessment teams are now systematically inspecting each
residence in the city to identify unattended, unremediated
properties and providing the assessment results to the city for
appropriate disposition.
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USACE, FEMA,
State of LA and City officials have crafted a productive
partnership and meet weekly and talk daily to develop strategies
to streamline property assessments, historic reviews, demolition
packet development and work execution processes.
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A recent
outcome of these planning initiatives was the passage by the New
Orleans City Council of an ordinance designed to streamline the
City's adjudication process to allow demolition of blighted
properties 30 working days after notification of the owner,
replacing what was formerly a 120-day process.
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The City of New
Orleans has also issued a deadline for voluntary demolition of
31 March which has picked up the pace significantly in that
area.
