A new Archbishop Phillip M. Hannan High School campus will be constructed in the Northshore community of Goodbee with funding provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

More than 530 students have been attending classes at a temporary facility since Hurricane Katrina destroyed the school's Meraux campus in St. Bernard Parish. Construction is currently under way on a permanent campus, and the school should be ready for students at the start of the 2008-09 school year.

The school will consist of 22 classrooms and cater to the Catholic educational needs of those who relocated to the Northshore from St. Bernard Parish. The previous building in St. Bernard Parish will be demolished, and the Archdiocese of New Orleans will continue to own the property. "All in all, it's been a pretty good relationship with FEMA," Archdiocese of New Orleans Financial Review Officer Jeff Entwisle said. "The money will allow us to accommodate our educational needs and maintain the functions of Hannan High School like they were before the hurricane."

FEMA has obligated more than $16.6 million to reconstruct the main building at Archbishop Phillip M. Hannan High School.

When projects are obligated by FEMA through its supplemental Public Assistance grant, the funds are transferred to a Smartlink account.

This allows the applicant, in this case the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, to work with the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness as quickly as possible to access the reimbursement monies. Obligated funds may change over time as the project worksheet is a living grant that is often adjusted as bids come in and scope of work is aligned.

The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to fund recovery measures and the rebuilding of government and certain private nonprofit organizations' buildings, as well as roads, bridges and water and sewer plants.

In order for the process to be successful, federal, state and local partners coordinate to draw up project plans, fund these projects and oversee their completion.