Baton Rouge Reporter

U.S. Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) announced today significant new investments to help reduce flooding and prevent electricity loss during weather events.

“We can spend money before disaster strikes and prevent damages and loss, or we can spend substantially more in the wake of a storm or hurricane picking up the pieces. Flooding and loss of electricity are two of the key vulnerabilities in our state. This $100 million is going to go a long way in addressing key needs in the Central, Thibodaux, and Gonzales areas,” Congressman Graves said.

New Louisiana investments include:

- City of Central: drainage improvements - $39.8 million. This is the third largest flood control grant in the nation.

- Ascension Parish: harden electricity/utility infrastructure in Ascension Parish (Gonzales) - $29.9 million. This is the second largest utility grant in the nation.

- Lafourche Parish: harden electricity/utility infrastructure in Lafourche Parish (Thibodaux) - $20.08 million. This is the fifth largest utility grant in the nation.

- CC Bel Road Resilience and Flood Mitigation Project (Coushatta) - $9.9 million

The funding is part of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In 2018, Graves worked with U.S. Congressmen Bill Shuster and Peter DeFazio to create the program to proactively address community vulnerabilities prior to disasters. Since its creation, Louisiana has not fared well under the BRIC program. Graves addressed this issue with top FEMA officials two months ago and in follow-up meetings.

Louisiana will receive $99.68 million as part of this BRIC grant cycle, with three of the four projects located in Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District receiving nearly $90 million in funding.

“This is a pivotal moment for Louisiana, and a significant injection of funding that will ensure that our state can stand stronger,” said Congressman Graves. “Our communities deserve this disaster protection. Louisianians have been unfairly penalized with rising insurance rates and mind-boggling floodplain rebuilding requirements that devalue our homes and disregard our resilience improvements, all while critical mitigation dollars are awarded on politics rather than merit. These BRIC awards are long overdue. These dollars will make sure that we can continue to prioritize our resilience against future storms and floods, safeguarding our lives and property and minimizing future recovery costs.”

The funds announced today add to the billions of dollars Graves has helped secure to protect communities across South Louisiana.