Originally Posted by
oddjob2
For those families and businesses not in flood plains, I wish them the best. For those in flood plains, I hope they have flood insurance and wish them the best as well, but I think they really need to understand the inherent perils of living where they live and consider relocating to higher ground for their own safety and peace-of-mind.
I know nothing about LA building codes, but I would hope it incorporates Federal standards which require new construction or major rebuilding to be raised above flood stage and that your client, the insurers, or Federal flood insurance will pay for that added construction cost.
Just as an FYI, the areas that were hit hardest have never flooded like this before. Tangipahoa Parish is not in the major floodplain- it is not the Mississippi River that is overflowing. There has been so much construction in these areas, especially around Baton Rouge, due to people relocating from the higher-risk areas farther south that there is no where else for the water to go now and rivers are quite literally flowing backwards in some areas. And no, quite a few of them do not have flood insurance because they were not living in a flood-prone area. Our local news is reporting that 75% of the homes in Tangipahoa Parish are rendered unlivable now.