LAKE CHARLES – It’s been a dispiriting and increasingly desperate Hail Mary by this hurricane-battered region that takes pride in picking itself up by its bootstraps. But local officials say they have little choice but to try again.
Gov. John Bel Edwards and Lake Charles are making a final push for additional long-term disaster relief from the federal government ahead of a March 11 budget deadline. Edwards was scheduled to visit Lake Charles on Monday, ostensibly to take in new plans for the city’s lakefront, a potential bright spot in the recovery, but underlying it was local officials’ concerns that money received so far is much too little to allow a full recovery from Hurricane Laura’s devastation.
Edwards’ visit was canceled at the last minute due to weather concerns and will be rescheduled later, spokesperson Christina Stephens said. The governor typically makes such visits by helicopter.
Regardless, Edwards will need no convincing of the region’s struggles. He has repeatedly highlighted the devastation not only from Laura, one of the strongest storms to ever hit the state, but also from Hurricane Delta six weeks later, a severe winter storm in February 2021 and heavy flooding in May – all during the pandemic.
He and members of his staff participated in a conference call with local officials and community leaders Thursday to discuss strategies for moving ahead. In visits to Washington, Edwards has stressed the need for recovery money during discussions with members of Congress and the Biden administration.
“We’ve got to make one last push,” said Calcasieu Parish Administrator Bryan Beam, who joined the 30-minute conference call along with parish police jury members Brian Abshire and Anthony Bartie. He said it was likely the “last shot to get any supplemental funding relating to Hurricane Laura for that kind of assistance.”
Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter, who was also on the call, has recently sought to stress progress made in the recovery despite the lack of federal aid, while issuing reminders of the immense amount of work still to be done.
Last week, he posted a series of pictures on Facebook showing badly damaged homes. “These images were taken today, Wednesday February 16, 2022, over 525 days after Hurricane Laura. Multiply these images by 150 (literally) and you’ll have a better picture of Calcasieu Parish,” he wrote.
“It's our understanding that Congress and the president have another opportunity, perhaps the last opportunity, to right this wrong and offer some semblance of an equitable response over the next 30 days,” Hunter added. “I pray that this happens.”
A construction fence surrounds the damaged and uninhabited Suffolk Manor apartment complex Wednesday, August 25, 2021, nearly one year after Hurricane Laura passed through, in Lake Charles, La.
Long-term disaster relief for the region was not approved by Congress until more than a year after Laura, which struck in August 2020. That's an extraordinary amount of time to wait when compared to responses to other disasters; a first tranche of dollars intended for Hurricane Ida relief was approved at the same time, though Ida hit in August 2021.
Beyond that, the amount approved for Laura and Delta relief amounted to just $600 million – far short of what Edwards and local officials say is needed. Edwards has spelled out around $1 billion in housing needs alone for Laura, Delta and Hurricane Zeta, which hit southeast Louisiana in October 2020. The vast majority of those needs are in the state’s southwest.
To be sure, long-term relief dollars are not the only federal help being sent. More than $1 billion has arrived to address immediate needs, much of it through FEMA. But in the wake of such major disasters, Congress typically appropriates funds in the form of Community Development Block Grants to allow for long-term recovery.
While around $600 million in CDBG funds have been approved, none has arrived yet. A series of bureaucratic hurdles are required before that aid can begin to flow, and the state has been working to set up a program to help homeowners in need when it does.
Edwards announced Monday that the state has published its proposed action plan for the funds for public comment. It can be found at this link.
Area residents line up outside the Allen P. August Multipurpose Center to register for Section 8 housing Tuesday, October 12, in Lake Charles, La.
Those who may qualify for rebuilding grants are being encouraged to fill out a survey at restore.la.gov. The money is expected to be available around May.
With so many damaged homes, a lack of affordable housing remains a major problem in the Lake Charles area. Local officials note recent progress with the reopening of some apartment units and others on the way, but vast tracts remain damaged and empty. Blue tarps on roofs are still common.
Lake Charles public housing is at about 35% occupancy, according to housing authority director Ben Taylor.
The Section 8 waiting list for Calcasieu Parish is at about 1,300, said Tarek Polite, the parish’s human services director. The parish was recently able to issue 25 new housing vouchers due to some progress being made, but the needs remain vast, said Polite.
On Monday’s aborted visit, Edwards was to hear about plans to transform the lakefront in northern Lake Charles with a series of projects, including a children’s museum and nature center called Port Wonder, restaurants, a fishing pier and kayak rentals.
The area where they would be built is visible from Interstate 10, and local officials hope it will serve as something of a calling card for the city while also providing residents with new entertainment options not far from downtown.
Editor's Note, 2/21/22: This story has been updated to note the cancellation of the governor’s visit as well as the publication of the state’s action plan for Hurricanes Laura and Delta recovery funds.