[StBernard] Jindal bill protects surviving homes from bulldozer

[Westley Annis]

By CityBusiness staff report

2006-06-27 4:33 PM CST 

WASHINGTON - Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, today amended a national flood
insurance bill to allow Louisiana residents to use federal assistance to
demolish and rebuild devastated homes on the same home site. 
 
An individual cannot receive federal assistance to mitigate a home by
demolishing and rebuilding on the same site because the Federal Emergency
Management Agency does not include "demolition and rebuilding" on the list
of eligible activities. The Jindal amendment will allow homeowners in
Louisiana to receive federal assistance under the Flood Mitigation
Assistance Program. 
  
"As we rebuild Louisiana, we need to give homeowners options that allow them
to rebuild their lives and homes to withstand the next hurricane," Jindal
said. "South Louisiana is home to the most repetitive loss homes in the
country and we need to do more to prevent the catastrophic hurricane and
flood damage that we saw last year." 
In the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 60 homes in the greater New
Orleans area survived the hurricanes with no flooding despite the fact
surrounding homes had up to 4 feet of water. These homes with no flooding
were part of a 2004 pilot program that allowed homes to be demolished and
rebuilt to higher code compliant standards. The Jindal amendment will expand
this program to all qualified homeowners. 
  
"The federal government has seen firsthand that this type of program can be
extremely successful," Jindal said. "Not only will this benefit homeowners
who want to stay in their same community, but it will also save taxpayers
billions of dollars by preventing the catastrophic damage that we saw in
hurricanes Katrina and Rita." 
  
The amendment was accepted and added during debate of the Flood Insurance
Reform and Modernization Act of 2006, a bill to reform the national flood
insurance program. The overall bill, which passed with a vote of 416-4, now
goes to the Senate for consideration.. 
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