Residents urged to be proactive

In the wake of flooded homes in Slidell from hurricanes Gustav and Ike in early September, city leaders recently urged homeowners to become more aware of flood zones in Slidell and of preparing homes and property for flood mitigation.

Gustav and Ike were flooding events in a long series of Slidell floods dating back to 1995 when 24 inches of rain fell on the city. The worst flooding came in 2005 when Katrina blasted the town with high winds and a 12-foot storm surge flooded the entire southern part of the city from Gause Boulevard to Lake Pontchartrain.

City leaders suggest that all homeowners find out if they are located in a repetitive flood loss area, which has consistently been flooded within the past 10 years.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has identified three of these repetitive flood areas in Slidell. The first is the west bank of the W14 Canal and U.S. Highway 11. Much of this area is low-lying and slopes downhill toward U.S. 11. On top of that, the W14 Canal tends to overflow during heavy rains because it is a very small channel.

The Bayou Vincent area near West Hall Avenue also has repetitive flooding, because, like the W14 Canal, it is a small channel and tends to overflow during heavy rains and rising storm surges from the lake.

Finally, the southern part of the W14 Canal and Bayou Bonfuca are prone to overflowing because of rising waters in the lake due to storm surges. Rising lake waters push up water levels in the canal and bayou as well as in the Palm Lake and Camellia Drive subdivisions.

Even if a resident doesn’t live in one of these three areas, most of Slidell is at risk of being flooded. City officials said all of Slidell below Interstate 12 is at risk, the reasons being the construction of new developments, loss of wetlands and changing drainage patterns in the city.

To find out if you live in a high-risk flood zone, FEMA has developed new Flood Insurance Rate Maps that show high-risk areas. These maps are used by insurance companies to determine premium rates. The maps are available for public viewing at either the St. Tammany Public Library on Robert Boulevard or at the Slidell Engineering Department office on Bayou Lane in Trailer 12. City leaders urge all residents to look at the FIRM to see what their risk may be.

These maps are also a help when selling a house. By Louisiana law, a seller must tell the buyer if the house is at risk for flooding or other disasters.

Whether or not a house is in a flood zone, Slidell officials urge everyone to buy flood insurance. Private insurance companies do not provide flood insurance, but residents can get insurance from the federal government through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program.

Residents should make sure to not only insure the building, but also its contents. FEMA officials said there is more damage to furniture and appliances from flooding than the building itself. Renters are urged to get flood insurance that covers their possessions.

For more information on flood insurance, residents can either contact their insurance agent, review flood insurance publications at the St. Tammany Public Library, contact the Slidell Planning Department at 646-4320, or go online to the Web sites www.fema.gov/nfip, or www.slidell.la.us.

Besides insurance, residents can take other steps to mitigate damage. Houses can be elevated above estimated flood levels or have concrete barriers around the house. Homeowners can also waterproof their homes. There is information on retrofitting a house in the public library, or by calling the Departments of Engineering or Building Safety and Permits at 646-4323.

There are also federal programs like Flood Mitigation Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program that offer financial assistance to elevate or waterproof a house. To find out more about these programs, either log on to the site, www.FloodSmart.gov or call 1-800-427-4190.

Slidell residents can also help reduce flooding in the city by not putting debris into dranage ditches and canals. Debris will become entangled and prevent water from flowing. In Slidell it is illegal to dump any type of debris into a canal or drainage ditch.