Louisiana Flooding: Damage to State At Least $8.7 Billion, Governor Says

The state of Louisiana suffered more than $8.7 billion in damage from the catastrophic flooding in August and that figure is expected to increase, Gov. John Bel Edwards said.

In a letter sent to President Obama dated Sept. 2, Edwards asked that Congress approve $2 billion in federal aid for housing, economic development and infrastructure that he said will be necessary for the state's recovery. The flooding has been called the worst disaster since Hurricane Sandy by the Red Cross.

"With FEMA verified unmet needs in housing repairs, which are typically well below what is actually required to repair a home, estimated at over $900 million, and taking into account that as many as 15 percent of households may never register for FEMA Individual Assistance, and understanding that over 80 percent of the flooded homes did not have flood insurance at the time, the funds required to bring these communities back could well exceed $1.2 billion in housing alone," Edwards wrote.

He said his request for the federal funding was reasonable and asked that the appropriation take place during Congress' September session.

In the letter, Edwards detailed some of the damage estimates from the flooding in August. So far, FEMA has documented damage to over 55,000 homes and that number is expected to rise to over 110,000. More than 80 percent of the flooded homes did not have flood insurance as most were in the 100-year floodplain. The majority of the flooded households are low to moderate income homes and 20 percent are renters.

About 14 percent of the Louisiana workforce was disrupted due to the flooding. The economic loss of labor productivity is over $300 million and the impact to the agricultural sector stands at over $110 million. Interstate commerce was interrupted by the closure of major highways at the peak of the flood.

"I am confident that with the local, state and federal resources already being applied to this disaster, along with the resources I'm requesting here, Louisiana will recover from this disaster stronger than before," Edwards wrote. "With smart investments in housing, economic development, infrastructure and planning, we can make our state more resilient in the face of future disasters, whatever they may be."

Edwards noted that since Louisiana has received the same federal funding in the past, the state has the necessary infrastructure to allocate the funds appropriately. The governor also included a request for funding for the Comite River Diversion Project through the Army Corps of Engineers, including $125 million to complete the project. Due to the likelihood of more heavy rain events in the future

"In spite of the fact that this was a 1,000 year flood event, we know that we can expect more extreme weather events in the future," he wrote.

Due to the likelihood of more heavy rain events, Edwards said understanding how to reduce flood levels in the basin and taking steps to do so is a better option for future preparedness compared to trying to elevate all homes in the floodplain. Edwards said he discussed the funding with Louisiana's congressional delegation and asked them to secure the support of their colleagues.

Edwards thanked Obama for visiting the state and for sending members of his cabinet to the state in response to the floods.

During his visit to the state, Obama said officials would have a better assessment of the funding needed by the state when Congress is back in session after Labor Day. Standing alongside members of the state's congressional delegation, he alluded that lawmakers would be able to secure the funding.

Image via @geauxcrimson, used with permission