NOLA’s First Chief Resiliency Officer

Mayor Mitch Landrieu has appointed Jeff Hebert as New Orleans’ first chief resiliency officer. Hebert currently leads the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority.

The New Orleans Advocate reported the position of chief resiliency officer is being created in cities nationwide as part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities program. The foundation describes the effort as $100 million push to help cities prepare for future stresses.

Hebert will remain with NORA, which manages thousands of properties taken over by the state after Hurricane Katrina. Landrieu has designated the agency as the entity in charge of implementing the city’s “resilience plan.”

NORA’s exact role is not yet clear.

The mayor’s office said Hebert will develop a “road map to resilience” for New Orleans over the next six to nine months.

The mayor’s announcement focused on dealing with stresses related to water: rising sea level, flood mitigation and protection and coastal restoration projects.

Hebert has worked with Landrieu since the mayor took office in 2010. He was the city’s first director of blight policy and neighborhood revitalization.

Hebert moved in 2012 to lead NORA. He’s been responsible for maintaining and selling off almost 6,000 properties acquired by the state after Katrina.

In his new post, Hebert will keep his current salary — $172,000 — but half of it will be paid by the Rockefeller Foundation.

NORA also will be adding a few staff positions focused on resiliency efforts, but those plans aren’t finalized yet.