[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish Council disagrees withFEMA's elevation advisories

[Westley Annis]

tell me what 3 feet of elevation is going to do, i had 13 feet of water. so if i elevate, next time i will only have 10. sounds like a stupid plan to me.

Judy


>-----------------------------------------------------

>Section 9.1 of the Housing Action Plan, Amended - Dated 3 May 06 has 

>the following paragraph:

>

>The LRA has passed resolutions tying benefits and funding for 

>communities and parishes to the adoption of the most up-to-date flood 

>guidance as part of their floodplain management ordinances. The LRA has 

>said it will only provide HMGP and CDBG funding in those parishes that 

>adhere to the State’s new building codes and adopt and enforce 

>FEMA’s Base Flood Elevation guidance in the construction or 

>reconstruction of all homes, businesses, and other structures in the 

>aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and

>

>The FEMA Advisory for St. Bernard contains this paragraph:

>

>FEMA recommends the following: new construction and substantially 

>damaged homes and businesses within a designated FEMA floodplain 

>should be elevated to either the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) shown on 

>the current effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or at least 3 

>feet above the highest adjacent existing ground elevation at the 

>building site, whichever is higher; and new construction and 

>substantially damaged homes and businesses not located in a designated 

>FEMA floodplain should be elevated at least 3 feet above the highest 

>adjacent existing ground elevation at the building site.

>

>Now you can put on your lawyer hat.

>

>The LRA says parishes must adopt FEMA's Base Flood Elevation Guidance.  

>"Guidance" is the key word here.

>

>The FEMA document is titled "FEMA Advisory".  It does have the text 

>"Flood Recovery Guidance" as a nice title at the top of the first page, 

>but right below it says "ADVISORY Base Flood Elevations for St. Bernard 

>Parish, Louisiana".

>

>This document is an advisory only.  At best, it is a "recovery" 

>guidance and not the Base Flood Elevation guidance that the LRA is look for.

>

>Now, we could argue this back and forth until we're blue in the face.  

>Personally, I don't FEMA has yet issued the guidance that the LRA is 

>looking for.  However, if the LRA says the advisory is what they want, 

>then the council needs to just go ahead and accept that so that 

>residents can partake of the Road Home program and the hell with 

>fighting it for the "principle" of the matter.

>

>The council does need to remember the corollary to the Golden Rule: He 

>who has the money also makes the rules.

>

>Westley

>

>