Raising homes reaches above the threat

When talking flood prevention in south Louisiana, there is really no preventing it.

What has historically been done, and is being attempted again as a line of defense in increasing numbers, is the elevating of homes as an attempt to put them out of reach of damaging waters.

“This one will be 12 feet in the air,” J&S Resources project manager Nick Bourgeois said of an approximately 2,100 square foot house with a slab foundation at 305 Rhonda Drive in Chauvin, which at that moment had already been elevated by about three feet.

Bourgeois, and other shoring professionals, have increased their efforts and activity during the past three years as federal, state and even parish ordinances set elevation requirements for new and existing structures.

“This [house] has flooded twice. We have been fighting [to get the homeowner government assistance] for three years to get their house picked up,” Bourgeois said.

“We’ve pick them up from two feet to 13 feet in the air. Prices range from $150,000 to $170,000. It is priced by square foot [and] it just depends on how high you have to go,” Bourgeois said.

Because of the cost involved and the vulnerability to flooding during coastal storm surges, Louisiana residents can apply for hazard mitigation grants or severe repetitive loss funding.

Hurricane and flood damage dating back to 2005 have left many homeowners in need of not only repairs but prevention measures for which they are either uninsured or simply unable to afford.

As of November 2010, the largest home mitigation effort in American history was being offered through the Office of Community Development-Disaster Recovery Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

The latest available figures reveal that the OCDDRH paid more than $102 million in funds to Louisiana homeowners following hurricanes Katrina and Rita alone.

“In the aftermath of two of the worst hurricanes in American history, we knew that simply rebuilding the same homes that flooded was not enough, which is why we’ve committed more than $1.5 billion to help homeowners build better homes,” said OCDDRH Commissioner Paul Rainwater in a printed statement.

“For families that live in communities at high risk for flooding, elevation is a smart investment and a proven way to prevent loss in a future storm,” said the governor’s state Homeland Security director Mark Cooper as part of Rainwater’s comments. “Louisiana is committed to ensuring that our residents are prepared when disasters strike, and as a state we’ve made unprecedented strides in achieving this goal.”

Louisiana’s mitigation efforts are funded using a mix of federal dollars awarded to the state after hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Additional federal funds are available for those who sustained damage from hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

Federal research indicates that for every dollar spent on home mitigation, $4 is saved in loss from a future disaster. Louisiana suffered billions of dollars in housing losses because of a series of hurricanes between 2005 and 2008.

Tools such as Community Development Block Grants offer homeowners $30,000 in elevation funds. That program has already paid more than $904 million directly to homeowners for elevation projects.

Information on home elevation, including requirements and applications, can be secured through the OCDDR office in Baton Rouge. The toll free telephone number is (877) 824-8312.

Nick Bourgeois of J&S Resources inspects work during an elevation project at 305 Rhonda Drive in Chauvin. Funding projects are in place for homeowners who in the past have been flood victims to use structural raising as a line of defense against storm surges. MIKE NIXON