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Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced $47 million in federal emergency funds now are available to help restore transit service in New Orleans and expand service in Baton Rouge, where the population spiked when Gulf Coast residents fled to the area after Hurricane Katrina.

To be available during the next six months, the funds will be used by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority – which operates bus and streetcar service in the Big Easy --- and bus operator Baton Rouge Capital Area Transit System.

"Our ability to repopulate once-flooded communities and restore economies washed away by the hurricanes will hinge on the ability of local transit systems to move workers, commuters and families effectively," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta in a prepared statement.