FEMA PUBLIC NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY 
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR
E.H. BURTON PROPERTY TEMPORARY HOUSING SITE
CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, ORLEANS PARISH PARISH, LOUISIANA


Interested parties are hereby notified that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has prepared a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for a proposed 
travel trailer site.  The site would house disaster victims displaced by major home damage caused by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. A Presidential 
Disaster Declaration was signed on August 29, 2005 for Hurricane Katrina (FEMA-1603-DR-LA). 

The proposed action includes developing approximately 5 acres of land for temporary group housing.  The site is located at 9905 Chef Menteur Highway (Rt. 90),
 New Orleans, Louisiana 70129. The proposed site is surrounded by existing development including residences, a restaurant and a highway. The terrain is flat 
and undeveloped. Existing ground cover consists of turf grasses, few trees, and a drainage swale. The proposal is to place eighty-seven travel trailers on 
site as Emergency Group Housing. Activities would include, where necessary, site clearing, grading, road construction, the placement of utilities 
(electricity, water, and sewer), and the transport and hook-up of travel trailers to the site. Per the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4371 et 
seq.), and associated environmental statutes, a draft EA was written to evaluate the proposed action’s potential impacts on the human and natural 
environment. In order to meet the urgent need of hurricane victims to find temporary housing, FEMA has conducted an expedited environmental review process 
to identify and address environmental issues. The draft EA summarizes the purpose and need, site selection process, affected environment, and potential 
environmental consequences associated with the proposed action.

Due to the emergency nature of this action, the public comment period will be brief – March 10, 2006, to March 12, 2006.  Written comments on the draft EA 
can be faxed to FEMA’s Joint Field Office in Baton Rouge at (225) 346-5848; or sent via email to eacomments@dhs.gov. When responding by email, enter site 
number OR-205 in the subject field. Verbal comments will be accepted at (225) 376-5137 and TTY for hearing or speech-impaired at 800-462-7585; between 
8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. The Environmental Assessment can be viewed and downloaded from FEMA’s website at http://www.fema.gov/ehp/docs.shtm. The draft EA is 
also available for public review at the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) located at 11700 Chef Menteur Highway New Orleans, and the Orleans Parish Library,
 Hubbell (Algiers Point) Branch, located at 725 Pelican Avenue, New Orleans. The DRC hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. 

If no substantive comments are received, the draft EA and associated Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) will become final and this initial Public 
Notice will also serve as the final Public Notice for work in the floodplain in accordance with 44 CFR Part 9.12. 

All other questions regarding disaster assistance or the availability of emergency housing should be directed to FEMA’s Teleregistration line at 
800-621-3362.