Challenge
Flooding is the number one disaster affecting Americans today, and nowhere is that felt more prominently than in Louisiana. Located on the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana residents contend with frequent tropical storms and hurricanes. Flooding is a constant concern and worry. The floodwaters invade homes and businesses, overwhelming large and small communities alike.
Flood-weary Louisiana residents feel the effects of flood inundations for months, if not years. The destructive force of flooding demands that parishes seek long-term solutions to combat this ongoing issue.
Solution
The City of Mandeville, located in St. Tammany Parish, decided to commit to helping residents escape troublesome flood waters. Finally tiring of the constant issue of a repeated damage-repair cycle, city officials decided to act by adopting high regulatory standards for the elevation of homes and businesses. Elevated homes and businesses allow water to pass underneath, helping to reduce flood risk and property damage in addition to saving lives.
Mandeville sits on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, across from the city of New Orleans. This small, vibrant community, rich in history and culture, has a population of 13,000. Colloquially known as “Mandeville on the Lake,” the city provides waterfront living that residents love and the city takes pride in.
“A true awakening took place after Hurricane Katrina, the big super storm,” said Lauren Brinkman, City Planner and Floodplain Manager for Mandeville. During Katrina, the city suffered traumatic losses, including substantial damage to historical homes and businesses. The decision to endorse elevations from a regulatory standpoint was a priority. To encourage homeowners to elevate, the city adopted a 10-year cumulative substantial improvement ordinance.
Mandeville’s successful 10-year cumulative substantial damage or substantial improvement ordinance requires homeowners to elevate homes with this determination. A substantially damaged home is when the cost of restoring the structure is equal to or exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
Accompanying the cumulative damage ordinance is a freeboard ordinance, which requires that all new construction build 2-feet above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) noted on the city’s flood maps.
FEMA defines the BFE as the computed elevation to which the flood is anticipated to rise during the base flood. The base flood is also referred to as the 1% annual chance flood or 100-year flood.
On Aug. 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida’s 8.5-foot storm surge caused extensive flooding. The city’s new standards and elevated buildings fared better than un-mitigated structures.
Louisette Scott is a retired planner and floodplain manager for Mandeville. Scott worked with the city for 35 years and is familiar with Mandeville’s goal to keep residents safe. “The City’s higher regulatory standards are far-reaching,” said Scott. “Not only do they help the city achieve its goals of being a more resilient community, but also protect our historic resources.”
Mitigation and Tales of Resilience
Success stories tell the tale of the effectiveness of the city’s efforts. The home of Lucinda Beacham, built in 1891, escaped the floodwaters of Hurricane Ida due to her elevation project.
The home has a history of flooding. It flooded during Hurricanes Katrina in 2005, Gustav in 2008, and Isaac in 2012. Beacham raised the structure in the spring of 2019, soon after purchasing it in September 2018.
The 8-foot elevation project took nine months to complete. “Flood waters from Hurricane Ida were higher than what we had seen with previous storms,” said Beacham. “The water remained for three days before draining back into the lake. Even though the home has a long history of flooding, because of the elevation, it escaped the storm waters and the devastating losses that always follow such an event. I am so grateful this old cottage, that is listed as contributing to Mandeville’s history, is protected now. I now have a peace of mind we will be okay whenever there are weather forecasts of storms and potential flooding. Without the elevation, everything underneath would have been ruined and approximately 8 - 12 inches of water would have entered my home.”
Beacham’s elevation project, administered by the State of Louisiana, totaled $125,000. FEMA’s
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funded $90,000 of the cost. Beacham paid the balance of $35,000.
HMGP funding is available after presidentially declared disasters. Applicants seeking HMGP grants must go through local officials to apply. HMGP provides funds to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments so they can reduce or mitigate future disaster losses in communities. HMGP funds a variety of mitigation projects, such as acquisition of real property, retrofitting structures to minimize damage from high winds and the elevations of structures to prevent flooding.
An additional bonus Beacham received by elevating was a $3,000 reduction in her yearly flood insurance premiums through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
Substantially Damage Determinations
The home of Mary Williams, raised in 2019, also escaped Ida’s floodwaters due to its 10-foot elevation. The Williams’ home, considered a substantially-damaged property, flooded during Hurricanes Andrew in 1992, Lili in, 2002, Bill in 2002, Katrina in 2005, and Isaac in 2012. But after Ida, Williams returned home to find her home still high and dry. “Without the elevation, my home would have received approximately 3.5 feet of water,” said Williams.
When an insured property meets the criteria of being severely or repetitively damaged, FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance Program may fund both the federal and non-federal cost share. funded 100% of Williams’ elevation project.
An added benefit of elevation is that it lowers the flood insurance rate in communities. Williams’s premium for the year decreased significantly.
Both Beacham and Williams, like many residents in Mandeville, faced a dilemma: elevate or risk continuous flooding and paying high insurance premiums. They chose to elevate, and with the city’s guidance, their completed projects serve as examples of what mitigation can do. Since implementing these standards in 2011, over 300 elevated homes now exist due to the efforts of Mandeville city officials.
“The effectiveness of elevations is evident in the claim history and that tells the story,” Brinkman said. “When Ida hit this year, we could only document 59 flooded buildings compared to 750 NFIP claims after Katrina in 2005.”
- Katrina (2005) - 750 NFIP claims for $25 million - and two-year recovery (at least)
- Isaac (2012) - 250 claims for $7.5 million and around a year recovery
- Ida (2021) - 59 flooded buildings - no data yet on NFIP claims. After Ida, most of the community businesses were back in business the same week, except for historic buildings not yet flood mitigated.
Key Takeaways
- Hazard Mitigation has grants to fund projects before and after a disaster:
- Flood Mitigation Assistance is a competitive grant program that provides funding to states, local communities, federally recognized tribes and territories. Funds can be used for projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program,
- Severe Repetitive Loss Definition on FEMA.gov
- Homeowner’s Guide to Retrofitting: Section 5 -Elevating Your House
- FEMA’s website Strong Building Code Protects Louisiana Town