2017 was a devastating year for flooding all across Louisiana. Many Louisiana residents suffered major property damage and some lost their homes. It was a terrible experience for those affected, but the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has released some positive home elevation grants news regarding what steps one should take next. The NFIP has awarded Jefferson Parish grants for $4.6 million and $7.7 million to help with the rebuilding efforts.
The money will go towards covering costs to elevate more than 24 homes across Jefferson Parish. The money will also help fund an additional 87 homes located outside the levee system in Crown Point, Barataria, and Lafitte. These grants will not only help repair the damage done to these homes after years of flood damage; they’ll also help minimize any damage that could happen in the future.
The home elevation grant news stated that out of the 111 homes that have been approved for grants, some of the homeowners will have to contribute a certain amount in order to cover the full cost of the home elevation. For most of the homeowners though, the grants will be enough to cover the entire home elevation process. The grants are also very specific in what they will cover. They only serve the purpose of covering the costs of the home elevation foundation retrofitting. They will not cover additional expenses including adding more living space to the house or structural repair.
So how do you know if you qualify for one of these grants? The home elevation grants news also revealed the FEMA guidelines; they state “priority criteria for funding” must exist for those eligible by their parish for the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant Program. The program focuses on mitigating “repetitive loss” and “severe repetitive loss” after flooding occurs and causes damage to homes and properties.
Homeowners who meet the criteria receive a home elevation application form to fill out. Once homeowners send back the application, a parish representative travels out to perform a “flood risk analysis”. Using FEMA software, they then perform a “benefit-to-cost analysis” of the damage. If the homeowner is approved for the grant, they can then use the grant money to cover temporary location costs during the time their house regarded as unsafe to enter or live in.
For more information about FEMA’s guidelines about the grant program, please click here.