Lafourche Parish to help residents escape flooding

Seven Lafourche Parish families are moving to higher ground, while four homes will be raised courtesy of $1.4 million in hazard mitigation grants.

“These homes are not necessarily in flood zone areas, but they are prone to flooding,” said Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph. “Some of the homes are older and they just flood every time a storm or bad weather comes.”

The homeowners first learned of the grant program in the spring of 2006. Randolph signed the acquisition and elevation agreements on Dec. 12.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide 75 percent of the funding and the Louisiana Recovery Authority will provide 25 percent, coming at no cost to the homeowners. The agreements were executed with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, according to Randolph.

The parish bought out seven residential properties at an estimated cost of $1 million. Work to elevate four other homes will cost approximately $463,688.

The 11 residences qualified for the funding because they were on FEMA’s repetitive loss list, Randolph explained. To be on the list, a residence has to file a high number of flood claims.

“It was more prudent to invest in the property and relocate (the families) or to elevate the homes, reducing the risk of future flood losses for citizens in the parish,” Randolph said. “The buyouts will allow the residents to move to higher ground and the elevations will give homeowners a peace of mind the next time flood waters begin to rise.”

Prior to the Dec. 12 signing, another agreement relocated three homeowners and elevated two homes in the parish, giving Lafourche a total of 16 homes that were either relocated or elevated.

According to Randolph, the parish is the first in the state to complete the process.