Hurricanes Katrina and Rita damaged numerous historic properties in Louisiana, particularly in New Orleans.

FEMA is working in close coordination with its Federal, State and local counterparts to ensure that FEMA meets its statutory historic preservation responsibilities in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

Section 106 of NHPA requires FEMA to identify properties eligible or listed on the National Register of Historic Places and to adequately consider the effect of any FEMA funded undertaking, including potential removal of private and public property, on historic properties.

FEMA and the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) have completed surveys of affected New Orleans neighborhoods in order to evaluate the historic integrity of districts currently listed in the National Register, confirm the existing boundaries of these National Register districts, and identify other neighborhoods that may also be eligible for National Register consideration.

FEMA and SHPO have concluded that the National Register historic district boundaries of Carrolton, Esplanade Ridge, Bywater, and Holy Cross have expanded, and that the Edgewood Park neighborhood and a portion of the Ponchartrain Park neighborhood are eligible as National Register historic districts.

For those structures identified by FEMA and the Louisiana SHPO as historic and which the City of New Orleans determines are in imminent threat of collapse and must be removed, FEMA must first consult with the City, the State of Louisiana, including the SHPO, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and other invited parties and agree upon measures to either avoid, minimize, compensate for, or otherwise address adverse effects that would result from the demolition of historic structures. FEMA also must adequately consider the views of public and historic preservation organizations about the proposed undertaking. This consultation process will be codified in a legally binding agreement.