NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – For nearly 20 years, the city of New Orleans has worked with contractors to spend more than $2 billion in FEMA funds awarded after Hurricane Katrina — but come 2026, those funds won’t be readily accessible.
The billions were earmarked for key roadway and infrastructure projects under the Joint Infrastructure Recovery Request program, or JIRR. While the money was already sent to the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), FEMA must regularly reimburse the city for ongoing construction.
However, access to those funds ends Dec. 31, 2025, despite the city filing a request for an extension with FEMA until Dec. 1, 2028. The request is still pending and has yet to be signed by the federal agency…