Preventing Future Flooding: A Look into Louisiana's Mitigation Program

In August 2005, all parishes in Louisiana were instructed to evacuate the state. Some were mandatory, while others were "highly advised", as local governments stated. Being 4 months pregnant, I couldn't imagine sitting uncomfortably in a car for the 4 to 12 hours it was taking for residents to reach safe ground. On August 29^th, 2005, we came to realize our poor judgment. Hurricane Katrina, the third strongest hurricane to make landfall on the United States, left numerous parishes in devastation. The storm surge breached several levees and flooded over 80% of the city, as well as other neighboring parishes.

Because St. Tammany Parish experienced minimal flooding, FEMA decided to use city hall's building to begin damage assessment. They were looking for locals to hire, and one week after the storm, I found myself employed with FEMA, assisting in the recovery process. I was employed in the Public Assistance Program, which assesses damages for all public buildings, municipalities, schools, etc. Shortly after FEMA was able to work in offices in the New Orleans area, I was moved to an office in Harahan, LA. I became part of a specialized team who were working on all educational facilities statewide. It became extremely difficult to witness the devastation New Orleans endured. With all the bad things reported, such as those homeowners who use their elevation grant money to purchase new cars or take vacations, the ones who actually utilize it for the right reasons makes my career feel so rewarding.

Currently, I am working on a project with the Office of Community Development (OCD) Disaster Recovery Unit (DRU) Louisiana Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. To qualify for this program, residents had to have been a LA Road Home applicant. At the time, The Road Home Program only offered $30,000 for the elevation of your home. A majority of the homeowners declined this award because it simply wasn't enough to elevate a structure. Now, five years later, in an effort to assist Louisiana with their recovery efforts, FEMA has allotted funding for this program. The purpose of this program is not only to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a disaster declaration, but to also reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to eliminate losses in future disasters. Furthermore, we are tasked with ensuring the homeowners are not committing fraud and spending the federal money on anything else other than elevating their homes. Each project is also monitored for compliance with HMGP regulations and for local code compliance.

Examples of the hazard mitigation work being done are:

• Demolition or relocation of buildings

• Retrofitting of structures to minimize damages from high winds and floods

• Elevation of flood-prone homes

Under this program, applicants can receive up to $100,000.00 for the elevation of their home. Homeowners must elevate their homes according to their Base Flood Elevation (BFE), a height relative to the mean sea level. Additionally, they can be deemed eligible for $7,500.00 for another program called Individual Mitigation Measures (IMM). The IMM Program is designed to strengthen doors and roofs, provide storm shutters, and to elevate HVAC units. Those homeowners who live in an area that requires elevation and does not elevate will not be eligible for federal funding for future flooding. Those who do elevate must add and/or maintain flood insurance on their homes.

Unfortunately, the program seems to be evolving at a slow pace, and local residents are fearful because hurricane season has already approached. Elevating a home can take anywhere from 1 to 2 months and those homeowners who have experienced repetitive loss from flooding are rightfully concerned they may flood again prior to being elevated. Some of our homeowners are living in other states, such as Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas. Their homes are not in livable conditions and they are waiting funding to commence mitigation work. To add to this, with the oil in the Gulf, a storm surge could bring oil into the homes and buildings as well.