Some Louisiana Residents Dropped Flood Insurance, Now Regret It

Some Monroe, La., homeowners dropped flood insurance when they got the choice, and are now regretting it.

Some homeowners in the area got notices from their mortgage company saying they were no longer required to buy flood insurance, and some were among the 23 houses that flooded in March, Frenchman’s Bend Homeowners Association President Jonathan Oglesbee said.

The requirement was dropped after the Federal Emergency Management Agency accepted revisions to the area’s flood plain map, based in part on a developer’s work to add fill dirt to raise a subdivision.

“We wanted to provide that flood map so that those folks wouldn’t have to have high-dollar flood insurance,” Police Juror Walt Caldwell told The News-Star.

In another matter, FEMA said households that already had storm damage but suffered additional damage during storms Wednesday and Thursday should file a supplemental report.

Spokesman William L. Rukeyser said the report can require an additional visit from an inspector. Applicants should specify they are reporting additional damage and not starting a new registration, he said.

Statewide, the storms did $20 million damage to roads and bridges statewide, the American Press reported.

The state Department of Transportation and Development said more than 450 roads and bridges were closed during the worst of the flooding and that thousands of structures were damaged across Louisiana.

The Federal Highway Administration has said it will release $1 million in emergency relief funds to help repair the damage.

Topics Flood Louisiana