The Eckert Consulting principal led the City of New Orleans FEMA Public Assistance effort for all disasters, including Hurricane Katrina totaling over $1.3B in Public Assistance (PA) and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) obligations.  The Eckert Consulting principal represented the City of New Orleans through the FEMA process by performing the following duties:

• Facilitated monthly meetings with FEMA and the State of Louisiana leads for the Public Assistance program for Hurricane Katrina

• Authorized requests to FEMA and the State of Louisiana as the City’s representative for the FEMA Public Assistance process

• Worked with the Mayor, Deputy Mayors and department directors to make high level strategy and political decisions related to the City’s FEMA claims, and implemented these decisions

• Prepared the Mayor with briefs and presentations for his meetings with the FEMA Administrator and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security

• Managed approximately 30 consultants in production of FEMA required documentation

• Increased the FEMA Public Assistance funding by over $500M by managing a process that proved additional Katrina damages to City roads and facilities more than five years after the disaster.

• Procured FEMA arbitration lawyers, including a former FEMA general counsel, to represent the City of New Orleans in its arbitration claims with FEMA, and managed the production of three arbitration request packages for a total request of $110M. The first arbitration claim was awarded to the City of New Orleans, and the following two claims were settled successfully in the City’s favor.

• Managed the successful HMGP request to create mechanical redundancy in the New Orleans Sewage and Water Board’s antiquated Power Plant facility. The project’s estimated cost of $143M was the largest single HMGP project in the history of the program at the time of award.