Youngsville residents may qualify for flood insurance savings for the first time, mayor reports

Youngsville property owners, for the first time, may qualify for a 10% reduction in their flood insurance.

The city, which undertook efforts to reduce the impact of flooding following the 2016 flood, was approved for the first time for inclusion in the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System, Mayor Ken Ritter said this week.

Inclusion in the Community Rating System, Ritter said, should help more than 1,500 flood insurance policyholders in Youngsville. That includes every new policy or renewed policy after April 1, 2026.

The city of Lafayette, Lafayette Parish and Carencro, meanwhile, all retained their Class 7 ratings.

Youngsville first applied in 2021 for the voluntary FEMA program that, every five years, evaluates how well communities exceed minimum requirements for floodplain management.

The city recently was accepted with a Class 8 rating, Ritter said, which allows eligible residents and business owners to receive a 10% discount on their flood insurance.

The lower the rating class, the bigger the potential discount on flood insurance premiums, said Clay Boudreaux, floodplain administrator with Lafayette Consolidated Government.

All you hear about insurance costs, Ritter said, is that they're increasing.

We're committed to continue improving that rating," he said.

Eligible residents and business owners in the city of Lafayette and unincorporated parts of the parish, meanwhile, will continue receiving a 15% discount on their flood insurance as both entities retained their Class 7 CRS designation.

The city of Lafayette earned 1,630 points in the five-year review, well above the 1,500 needed to retain its Class 7 rating and only 370 points from improving to a Class 6 rating and even greater discounts for residents.

Lafayette Parish, Boudreaux said, received 1,517 points.

Almost 15% of LCG's proposed 2025-26 capital budget is dedicated to drainage, Mayor-President Monique Boulet said in a news release. The projects target areas most in need to lower flood risk and protect homes and businesses when heavy rains fall.

LCG's long-term, multi-pronged approach to stormwater management includes targeted drainage upgrades, low-impact development practices and a renewed focus on watershed-based planning to reduce flood risks across the parish.

One project that could improve Lafayette's score, Boudreaux said, is a flood warning response system.

"In CRS, if we push out information to specific areas saying they're under a flash flood warning or an evacuation notice or certain roads are closed," he said, "we can get points.

LCG is doing some of that, Boudreaux said, but needs to improve its system with small tweaks to meet the CRS standards.

The city of Carencro, which was hit hard by flooding in 2012, CAO Purvis Morrison said, retained its Class 7 CRS rating, earning 1,612 points, up from 1,509 it received five years ago.

It's difficult to get federal funds, Morrison said, but Carencro built a detention pond in the heart of the city to help reduce flooding during storms, worked on pump stations, improved drainage channels and continues to clean ditches.

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