LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – Government officials said at a public meeting Wednesday night the 2016 flooding in Louisiana is the fourth most expensive disaster in the United States.
At the public meeting, Governor John Bel Edward’s Office of Community Development Executive Director Pat Forbes spoke with the community about their input on their new flood recovery action plan.
“Our action plan, as we’ve written it now, is our proposal for what to do,” Forbes said.
St. Martin Parish resident Palmer Johnson said he is making sure his neighbors are not forgotten in the plan.
“I want to find solutions so we can better deliver services to these people that are still experiencing this hardship that we have,” Johnson said.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is funding the plan through a federal grant of $430 million.
According to HUD, the state has to spend 80 percent of the money on the six most impacted parishes, with Lafayette Parish being the third most impacted.
In Lafayette Parish, officials said Youngsville was hit the hardest.
“In Youngsville most of our residents have made arrangements and are starting to move back into their homes so what we want to do is make sure that we don’t have to go through this again,” said Ken Ritter, Youngsville mayor,
The plan lays out three programs, a homeowner, rental housing and economic revitalization program. The bulk of the money going towards homeowner programs, for a grand total of $438 million. However Forbes said $438 million is just not enough.
“There is quite obviously not enough money for us to help everybody. It’s an eighth of the amount of money we know we need,” Forbes said.
Forbes said congress gave Louisiana $1.2 billion last week, but this money is not included in the current flood recovery plan. For now, the state is using the money they have to help people recover.
“All we want to do is pray and ask God to send some help and send some relief,” Johnson said.
The government expects to have their flood recovery action plan going by mid-April.
