House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets Hearing
The Great Flood of 2016 began with a flash flood on
By the early morning hours of
Even as a storm rages against us, nothing can stop the citizens of
As the waters receded, we began to assess the damage. We quickly realized that the waters did not respect the lines drawn on our flood maps. In the greater
The
We are angered by the lack of effective response from
My frustration stems from the fact that
It seems that the rules imposed by
Lack of Timely Response
We expected help from
But
This is unacceptable.
Lack of Accurate Information
In addition to failing to quickly lend assistance,
In addition to misinformation at the city government level,
Failure to accurately and timely disseminate critical information essential to our recovery is unacceptable. Clear communication before and during a crisis would prevent this situation from occurring.
Substantial Damage and Elevation
The most frustrating part of our experience with
Due to
In effect, this rule means that the vast majority of homes in our city, most of which have never even come close to flooding before, must now elevate in order to obtain the assistance they need to return home.
Elevating homes is not something that is unfamiliar to South Louisianans. We've seen the blight it causes to major cities and can only imaging the blight that it will cause in our small town. We've been eye-witnesses as this requirement has taken its toll on
This is not a problem that is unique to
An example of one such family is Mr. and Mrs.
At 90 years of age, having survived the Great Depression and WWII,
A proud veteran,
All of his life when help was needed, whether by his country or his community,
The time to act is now. The experiences of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Gustav, along with Superstorm Sandy, have proven to everyone that elevation requirements imposed on an entire city will cause communities to crumble and blight to take hold. Elevation requirements imposed in the aftermath of a flood of epic proportions, a flood which was largely caused by man-made barriers and uncompleted drainage projects, are absolutely unnecessary for mitigation. The majority of the structures that will face elevation requirements will be a distant memory before a thousand-year flood of this magnitude occurs again.
We are not asking for
It is within
Please, Congressmen, don't make us wait for
Let me be clear about one thing--the people of
n1 Ballard, Mark. Understanding FEMA Flood-Recovery Programs, Why You're Not Getting 'Thousands of Dollars' Immediately. The Advocate;
n2 Allen, Rebekah. Two Big Reasons Why Just 1 FEMA Trailer Is In Place After Louisiana Flooding, The Advocate,
n3 Griggs and Hardy. Where You Live Could Determine Whether Permits or Elevation Required for
n4 FEMA Rule P-758.
n5 FEMA Substantial Improvement/Substantial Damage Desk Reference.
n6 Vanacore, Andrew. A Look Into The Future? Hurricane Sandy Victims Still Struggling To Rebuild Amid Red Tape, Crooked Contractors. The Advocate;
Read this original document at: https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2016-09-09-Mayor-Landry-Denham-Springs-Testimony-.pdf
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