Last week, the Lafayette City Council approved an emergency ordinance to spend $20 million on spot dredging the Vermilion River and for other drainage improvement projects. Today, U.S. Representative Clay Higgins says FEMA will give Lafayette Parish over $6.2 million for flood mitigation efforts.

 

clayhiggins.house.gov
clayhiggins.house.gov
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"Last week's torrential rainfall event and related flooding highlight the importance of pre-disaster mitigation efforts," says Congressman Higgins in a press release. "My office supports investments like these and others made through the Louisiana Watershed Initiative. We will continue working with our local, state, and federal partners to prioritize investments in flood mitigation. These efforts produce long-term cost savings and make our communities more resilient."

Here are the hazard mitigation projects the grant money will fund:

  • $3,420,195 to fund the elevation of seven structures and the acquisition of seven structures, which are all designated as Severe Repetitive Loss properties.
  • $2,799,760 to fund the elevation of five structures and the acquisition of eight structures, which are designated as either Repetitive Loss or Severe Repetitive Loss properties.

 

Townsquare Media Photo by John Falcon
Townsquare Media Photo by John Falcon
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This announcement follows Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory and the Lafayette City Council's actions that will allow the city to dredge parts of the Vermilion River that flow inside Lafayette city limits, pay for two flusher trucks to help ease spot flooding in neighborhoods, and continue focusing on other drainage improvement projects, such as flushing culverts, ditch digging, and retention ponds.

Of the $20 million approved by the Council, nearly $16 million will come from the Lafayette's General Fund while the rest of the money will come from the Lafayette's Capital Improvement Fund.

Nearly $16 million of that money would come from the city's general fund. The other $4 million would come from the city's capital improvement fund.

 

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