State suspends 7 elevation firms suspected of 'serious misconduct'

State launches investigation, suspends companies out of 'abundance of caution'

Reacting to allegations of what it calls "serious misconduct in violation of program rules," the state has suspended seven house-raising contractors from its troubled Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The companies were suspended pending an investigation by the state inspector general and the attorney general's office.

New Orleans Fire Department photoA house being raised in eastern New Orleans as a part of the Hazard Mitigation Program collapsed on April 18, killing one of the workers. A federal investigation found Coastal Shoring at fault, but the lead contractor was Fusion Shoring, one of seven companies suspended Friday.

The suspended companies are: Cajun Elevation and Shoring LLC, of Metairie; Cumberland Investment Group LLC, also known as CIG, of Metairie; Elevations Shoring, of Kenner; Fusion Construction Inc., of Marrero; NTP Construction LA LLC, of New Orleans; Patterson Structural Moving and Shoring LLC, of Slidell; and RamJack Foundation Solutions of Louisiana, now doing business as Foundation Elevation and Repair, of Durham, N.C.

"We have suspended these companies out of an abundance of caution based on serious allegations that they attempted to violate program rules," said Pat Forbes, executive director of the state Office of Community Development.

The state said that if homeowners working with these companies have questions about the suspensions, they should call their mitigation analysts or the state mitigation hotline at 877.824.8312.