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BY FAIMON A. ROBERTS III | FROBERTS@THEADVOCATE.COM APR 20, 2018 – 4:52 PM

A stormwater diversion in Mandeville, a mental health and substance abuse program in Plaquemines Parish and a wetlands educational center in Jefferson Parish.

Those projects may not have much else in common, but they were announced Friday as three of the first 10 initiatives the state will tackle as part of its LA SAFE program, which is designed to help coastal residents and communities prepare for and mitigate future flood risks.

Friday’s announcement of the chosen projects by Gov. John Bel Edwards was the culmination of months of public meetings in six parishes: Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Tammany, St. John the Baptist and Terrebonne.

Each parish has at least one project. Jefferson, Plaquemines, Lafourche and Terrebonne will have two each.

The program, whose name stands for Louisiana Strategic Adaptations for Future Environments, is funded by a $40 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Foundation for Louisiana partnered with the state in launching the planning phase of the effort.

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