ANALYSIS: Disasters are giving Lafayette’s economy a sugar high
An influx of spending related to hurricane recovery and federal coronavirus stimulus is masking a still struggling economy.
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Flood 2016
Overnight downpour floods streets and homes in Lafayette areas spared in 2016
The gist: Intense rainfall hovered over central Lafayette neighborhoods, raising waters from drainage systems into homes that haven’t taken water in decades and onto streets that stayed relatively dry in 2016.
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Big, potentially costly changes coming for national flood insurance program
The gist: FEMA will soon announce an overhaul in how it calculates flood risk. The changes, first reported by Bloomberg, could increase premiums, lower property values and change public perception.
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Gov. Edwards launches a statewide watershed management council
The gist: The governor created a statewide office to spearhead watershed management called the Council on Watershed Management. He signed an executive order creating the council at a meeting of the Acadiana Planning Commission, which he touted as an example of regional coordination in water management.
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Congress authorizes dredging of Vermilion River Homeowners have demanded work on the river to remove build-up believed to have worsened the historic floods of 2016.
Sen. Bill Cassidy’s office said the Corps of Engineers will release a work plan later this week, which would be the first indication of a timeline for the Vermilion dredging project.
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When the storm comes
Another flood is coming. The timing is uncertain, but the trends that produced the 2016 flood continue unabated.
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