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THE LEADERSHIP AND RESILIENCE PANEL, UM, MODERATED BY HEIDI STILLER, WHO SERVES AS SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE CENTER AT THE WATER INSTITUTE.HE'S GONNA MODERATE THE PANEL, WHICH ACTUALLY FEATURES NOT ONE, BUT TWO WINNERS OF THE COMMISSIONER'S LEADERSHIP AND RESILIENCE AWARD.
AND Y'ALL CAN GO AHEAD AND START MAKING YOUR WAY TO THE STAGE.
SO, UH, PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING HEIDI AND HER PANELISTS.
JEFFERSON PARISH COUNCIL CHAIRWOMAN, JENNIFER VAN BRECKEN, CENTRAL LOUISIANA MAYOR WADE EVANS, AND LOUISIANA COASTAL PROTECTION AND RESTORATION AUTHORITY OPERATIONS CHIEF BRAD BARTH.
UM, AND AN HONOR TO BE HERE TO MODERATE OUR PANEL TODAY.
UM, WE HAD A LITTLE PRE-CALL AND WE DECIDED THAT RATHER THAN ME READING LENGTHY BIOS, IT MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE, UM, FOR EVERYONE TO JUST GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR FIRST QUESTION.
SO, WITH NO FURTHER ADO, I'M GONNA GET TO IT.
UM, SO BEFORE WE JUMP INTO SOME OF THE SPECIFIC EFFORTS THAT EACH OF YOU ARE PURSUING, I WANTED TO ASK YOU TO SHARE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON HOW INSURANCE CONNECTS AND CONTRIBUTES TO RESILIENCE, BOTH AT THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL FOR EVERYONE WHO LIVES IN LOUISIANA, BUT ALSO AT THE LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT LEVELS.
SO, I KNOW THAT'S A LOT, BUT HOW DOES INSURANCE CONNECT TO RESILIENCE AT ALL LEVELS? AND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
AND SO I'LL TURN IT TO YOU, CHAIRWOMAN FIRST.
UM, RIGHT NOW, THE MOST IMMEDIATE EXAMPLE OF HOW INSURANCE AND RESILIENCE CONNECT IS EVERY CIVIC MEETING THAT I WOULD GO TO, EVERY COMMUNITY MEETING I WOULD GO TO, SOMEONE WOULD TALK ABOUT THE CRUSHING COST OF THEIR HOME INSURANCE.
AND IF YOU'RE IN PUBLIC SERVICE, LISTENING TO WHAT PEOPLE NEED YOU TO FOCUS ON IS WHAT IT'S ABOUT.
AND SO THAT IS WHERE WE STARTED THINKING, OKAY, WHAT CAN WE DO RELATED TO INSURANCE TO HELP PEOPLE, UM, REDUCE THOSE COSTS? AND THE IMMEDIATE THING THAT WE FOCUSED ON, THANKS TO LDI, I'S LEADERSHIP IS FORTIFIED ROOFS.
AND ADDING THAT RESILIENCE TO EACH OF OUR HOMES, MAKING SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF OUR ROOF IN A STORM, UM, BECAME THE THING THAT WE IDENTIFIED.
AND SO, UM, I THINK ALL OF OUR HOMEOWNERS NOW APPRECIATE RESILIENCE IS OUR MUTUAL FUTURE.
THAT IN TURN, MAKES US LESS RISKY, A PROSPECT FOR THE INSURANCE COMPANIES WHO WILL COME BACK AND WRITE HERE AND BRING THOSE COSTS DOWN.
SO THERE'S, UM, DEFINITE CONNECTION BETWEEN THOSE TWO.
UM, THIS IS A NEW, I WAS TALKING TO MY CHIEF OF STAFF WHO'S HERE.
I'M NOT OF THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY.
UM, MY BACKGROUND, MY MOM LIKES TO KID THAT I HIT THE TRIFECTA OF HATED PROFESSIONS.
I, UH, WENT TO TULANE LAW SCHOOL, SO I'M A LAWYER.
I THEN WENT INTO TELEVISION NEWS.
SO I'M A JOURNALIST AND NOW I'M A POLITICIAN.
IT'S, UH, IT'S DIVERSE, BUT, UM, I, I ENJOY SERVING PEOPLE.
I THINK THE MAYOR AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW MUCH WE ACTUALLY DISLIKE POLITICS.
AND WITH THAT, UH, I'M WADE EVANS.
UH, I, I WOULD PREFER TO BE CALLED A PUBLIC SERVANT, NOT A POLITICIAN, BECAUSE POLITICS IS SO UGLY AND VITRIOLIC.
UH, I, I GOT INTO THE WORLD, THE WORLD OF POLITICS AFTER THE 2016 FLOOD.
AND SO I HAVE A BACKGROUND IN INSURANCE.
I WAS LIFE AND HEALTH, PROPERTY AND CASUALTY SERIES 6 63 AND SEVEN ON THE INVESTMENT SIDE.
AND, UH, AND DID THAT FOR A WHILE, BUT HATED IT.
AND SO I, I TRANSITIONED AND, AND WENT TO COLLEGE, DECIDED TO, TO HEAD A DIFFERENT ROUTE WITH MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER.
AND LO AND BEHOLD, HERE I AM AT AN INSURANCE CONFERENCE TALKING ABOUT RESILIENCE.
UM, AFTER THE 2016 FLOOD IN OUR CITY WHERE 60% OF OUR STRUCTURES WERE FLOODED, UH, I DECIDED TO GET INVOLVED AT THE PRODDING OF SOME FRIENDS.
UH, IT SEEMED LIKE A JOKE AT THE TIME.
AND HERE WE ARE, UH, EIGHT YEARS LATER.
WE, WE LOOKED AT IT AS GOVERNMENT WASN'T DOING ITS JOB.
BUT TO GET BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL QUESTION, I THINK INSURANCE TIES IN AS INSURANCE IS THE INTENDED SAFETY NET FOR COMMUNITIES AND INDIVIDUALS, WHETHER IT BE LIFE AND HEALTH OR, OR PROPERTY AND CASUALTY AS IT RELATES TO HOMES AND HOW IT TIES INTO GOVERNMENT.
UH, WE SEE IT AT A LOCAL LEVEL NOW WITH SOME OF THE LEGISLATIVE CHANGES AND THE REQUIREMENTS TO HAVE PERMITS FOR REROOF, UH, AT, AT YOUR LOCAL LEVEL.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT THAT.
BUT I EXPLAINED TO THEM THE WHOLE
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PROCESS OF BUILDING INSPECTION.IF YOU DON'T HAVE A ROBUST INSPECTION PROGRAM, YOU COULD BECOME COMPLETELY UNINSURABLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE THE INSURANCE COMPANIES WANT TO KNOW THAT THE STRUCTURES THEY'RE INSURING AND COVERING HAVE BEEN BUILT PROPERLY ACCORDING TO STANDARDS.
SO, UH, I THINK THE INTEGRATION OF INSURANCE AND, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IS HUGE BECAUSE OUR DECISIONS CAN IMPACT THE INSURABILITY OF, OF OUR CITIZENS AND THEIR STRUCTURES AND THEIR, THEIR PROPERTY.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE DO, UH, IS TRY TO MITIGATE THE RISK AS BEST AS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE IF WE HAVE WINDSTORMS COMING.
SO WE'RE IN A DIFFERENT REGION THAN SAY, JEFFERSON PARISH.
WE DON'T HAVE THE HIGH WINDS AS MUCH, BUT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF TREES.
AND SO BEFORE STORMS, SOME OF OUR PREPARATION IS, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY DEBRIS PILES ARE PICKED UP AND TAKEN TO A LOCATION.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE PROJECTILES FLYING AROUND AND, AND ALSO DOING WHAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD.
BUT I, I THINK THE QUESTION IS, IT'S INTEGRAL AND YOU HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT THE INSURABILITY OF YOUR COMMUNITY IS VIABLE.
I'M WITH THE COASTAL PROTECTION AND RESTORATION AUTHORITY.
UM, SO I AM THE ONE THAT HERE IS A LITTLE BIT, LOOKS DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER TWO
AND I DON'T HAVE ONE OF THOSE AWARDS EITHER, MERRILL, SO YOU NEED TO HELP ME OUT THERE.
UM, BUT NOW WITH ALL KIDDING ASIDE, SO FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW COASTAL PROTECTION RESTORATION AUTHORITY, WE ARE THE, THE ONESTOP SHOP IN THE COASTAL ZONE IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA FOR ALL THINGS RESTORATION AND STORM RISK REDUCTION.
SO OUR LEVEES ARE FLOOD WALLS AND GATES THAT YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH OR SEE AROUND THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA, OR IF YOU'RE FROM THE CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE AND YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE MORGANZA TO THE GULF AND WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE WITH ALL THE LEVEE IMPROVEMENTS.
UH, BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE, SO ALL THE GREEN THINGS THAT WERE ON OUR COAST, OUR MARSHES, OUR BARRIER ISLANDS, AND SO FORTH TOO, WE'RE ALSO LEADING THOSE EFFORTS AND WE DO IT IN TANDEM.
SO WE CAN HAVE ONE VOICE, ONE PUSHING ON PULLING ON THE ROPE, SO THAT WAY WE CAN GET THESE RESILIENT PROJECTS.
AND THE PROJECTS THAT WE TACKLE ARE EXACTLY THAT.
SO WHEN WE DO GET KNOCKED DOWN, WE CAN, UH, DEFLECT OR ABSORB THE STORM AND SO FORTH, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR STORM SURGE REDUCTION PROJECTS.
AND SO THAT IS A GREAT PLAY RIGHT INTO THE INSURANCE CONVERSATION ON STORM SURGE REDUCTION AND ALL THINGS ALONG OUR COAST.
AS JOHN MENTIONED, I'M A SENIOR ADVISOR AT THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE CENTER AT THE WATER INSTITUTE.
UM, I'VE BEEN WITH THE INSTITUTE ABOUT A YEAR NOW, AND BEFORE THAT I WAS WITH NOAH FOR A COUPLE OF DECADES WORKING IN COASTAL MANAGEMENT.
WHAT YOU HIGHLIGHTED IS THAT INSURANCE IS A PART OF AND CRITICAL TO COMMUNITY RESILIENCE, AND THAT IS CERTAINLY A LESSON THAT I TOOK AWAY FROM MY TIME IN NOAA WORKING IN, IN SCIENCE AND WORKING TO HELP COMMUNITIES WITH COASTAL RESILIENCE.
EACH OF YOU HAS BEEN WORKING ON SOME SPECIFIC EFFORTS RELATED TO INSURANCE, AND WE WANNA, UM, SHARE THOSE WITH FOLKS TODAY.
AND THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE HELPING OUR CONSTITUENTS, UM, AND SOME THINGS THAT OTHERS IN THIS ROOM MIGHT WANNA TRY OUT AND REPLICATE.
SO I'M GONNA START WITH MAYOR EVANS.
UM, UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP, THE CITY OF CENTRAL HAS BEEN WORKING TO IMPROVE THE COMMUNITY'S COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM SCORE, WHICH CAN LOWER FLOOD INSURANCE PREMIUMS FOR RESIDENTS UNDER THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THOSE EFFORTS AND WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME WINS AND WHAT ARE SOME REMAINING CHALLENGES WITH CRS? SO, UH, THE CITY, WE LOOKED AT HOW DO WE HELP LOOK INSURANCE.
UH, FOR MANY YEARS WE'VE HEARD IT'S IN CRISIS HERE.
AND THEN WITH THE FLOOD AND WITH THE, THE SUSTAINED LOSSES THAT WE HAD, YOU SAW A REVAMPING OF FLOOD INSURANCE AND HOW THEY, HOW THEY DETERMINED THE RATES.
AND IT REALLY AFFECTED OUR HOMEOWNERS TREMENDOUSLY BECAUSE THE OLD WAY OF DOING IT WHERE THEY LOOKED AT FLOOR ELEVATION, UH, REALLY HELPED PROPERTY OWNERS.
AND, AND IT SHOWED THAT MANY OF THOSE OWNERS, EXCEPT IN A THOUSAND YEAR BIBLICAL TYPE EVENT, UH, THEY DIDN'T FLOOD.
HOWEVER, WITH RISK RATING 2.0, IT CHANGED THINGS.
AND SO WE, AND WE TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO LOOK INTO HOW THEY DETERMINED THE CRS RATING AND HOW CAN WE IMPACT THAT RATING.
AND SO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID WHEN WE FIRST GOT ELECTED WAS WENT TO AN INTENTIONAL SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL.
WE DID, WE DIDN'T WANT MS. SMITH TO HAVE TO CALL AND SAY, HEY, I'VE GOT A PROBLEM.
UH, AND ANYTIME A RESIDENT WOULD CALL, WE WOULD SEND AN INSPECTOR OUT AND THEY WOULD INTENTIONALLY INSPECT ALL PROPERTIES AROUND THAT HOME, BECAUSE THE MINDSET COMING FROM THE WORLD OF CONTRACTING WAS, IF I HAVE TO MOBILIZE A CREW
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AND EQUIPMENT, I WANNA FIX AS MANY THINGS AS I CAN WHILE THEY'RE PARKED.I DON'T WANNA HAVE TO, TO SPEND WINDSHIELD TIME BECAUSE THAT'S A WASTE OF RESOURCES.
AND SO WE, WE REDEVELOPED HOW WE PERFORM PUBLIC WORKS AND HOW WE PROVIDE SERVICES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE STARTED INTENTIONALLY, UH, DOING THE WORK.
THE OTHER THING IS PRE 1983, THERE WAS NOT, UH, DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS AS IT RELATES TO DETENTION OF WATER THAT RUNS OFF OF A SITE.
THERE, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME LOOSE REQUIREMENTS, BUT MOST NEIGHBORHOODS HAD OPEN DITCHES.
AND OVER TIME, THOSE OPEN DITCHES WOULD EITHER SILT IN, OR BY THE FAULT OF OUR OWN GOVERNMENTS, THEY WOULD ALLOW PEOPLE TO PUT CULVERTS IN A DITCH.
SO IF YOU HAVE A DITCH THAT'S THREE FOOT AT THE TOP, UH, 18 INCHES AT THE BOTTOM AND TWO FOOT DEEP, YET YOU PUT A A 15 INCH CULVERT IN IT, YOU'VE TAKEN SO MUCH OF YOUR CAPACITY, WHICH IS YOUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE.
AND SO WE'VE GONE IN AND WE'VE STOPPED ALLOWING PEOPLE TO CULVERT THEIR DITCHES.
AND WE'VE INTENTIONALLY BEEN DIGGING ROADSIDE DITCHES EVERY DAY.
AND, AND WHAT THAT DOES IS IT GIVES YOU YOUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE, WHICH IS YOUR ROADSIDE DITCHES.
AND WE CHANGED THE LEGISLATION IN OUR CITY BECAUSE OF THE 16 FLOOD.
WE HAD COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF DATA.
WE HAD ACTUAL WATER ELEVATION IN HOMES.
WE HAD, WE HAD INUNDATION LEVELS ACROSS OUR WHOLE CITY, WHICH IS 62 SQUARE MILES, IS A VERY LARGE CITY.
AND SO WE TOOK THAT DATA AND WE BUILT OUR OWN MODELING SYSTEM USING RAS MODELS, WHICH IS WHAT CIVIL ENGINEERS USE, AND THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS AND, AND USGS, AND TO, TO GET THEIR INUNDATION AND, AND CHECK CONVEYANCE.
AND WE DEVELOPED OUR OWN SYSTEM TO, UH, DO AN ANALYSIS OF ANY PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OR ANY IMPROVEMENTS WE MAKE, MAKE, IF I WANT TO GO AND CHANGE A CULVERT UNDER A ROAD, DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO CHANGE THAT CULVERT THE WAY IT WAS? OR DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO RUN IT THROUGH THE MODEL TO MAKE SURE WE, WE SIZE THAT CULVERT PROPERLY? THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS, ONCE YOU START SENDING WATER DOWNSTREAM, YOU OPEN UP ANOTHER SET OF ISSUES.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN VERY AGGRESSIVE WITH REGIONAL DETENTION PROJECTS BECAUSE THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS WON'T LET US DIG OUR FIVE WATERSHEDS, BUT THEY CAN'T STOP ME FROM DIGGING BIG HOLES NEXT TO 'EM.
AND SO THE MINDSET IS, IF, IF I CAN'T DIG IN THE CANAL, I'M GONNA DIG THESE HUGE AREAS WHERE THE CANAL CAN OVERFLOW IN A CONTROLLED MANNER AND THEN DRAIN OUT.
AND INHERENTLY YOU END UP WITH LARGE TRACKS OF FLAT GROUND THAT CAN BE USED FOR MULTIPLE PURPOSES.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN, IN GETTING GRANT FUNDING FOR THAT, UH, TO GET THESE PROJECTS GONE.
AND THEY'LL, THEY'LL IMPACT OVER A THOUSAND HOMES IN OUR COMMUNITY, UH, TO TAKE 'EM OUT OF THE REPETITIVE LOSS CATEGORY.
NOW, I WANNA CLARIFY, REPETITIVE LOSS DOESN'T MEAN THEY FLOOD EVERY TIME IT RAINS.
AND SO WITH THESE HOMES THAT THESE HOMEOWNERS HAVE SEVERE ANXIETY EVERY TIME IT RAINS, WE'VE ALSO DEVELOPED A SYSTEM CALLED EARLY FLOWS, WHICH IT'S EARLY FLOWS.COM/CENTRAL.
AND WE DID IT LIKE THAT BECAUSE WE KNEW EARLY FLOWS COULD BE MARKETED TO OTHER COMMUNITIES AS WELL.
AND SO WE DIDN'T WANNA CALL IT CENTRAL FLOOD SYSTEM, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE WORKING WITH A THIRD PARTY CONSULTANT, AND IT'S AN AMAZING SYSTEM.
BUT WE TOOK ALL THE LEGISLATIVE CHANGES, WE TOOK THE FACT THAT WE'VE MODELED OUR CITY AND WE KNOW WHERE WATER FLOWS WHEN IT HITS THE GROUND.
AND WE'VE DEVELOPED THESE CONVEYANCE MODELS, WHICH ARE ACTUALLY MORE STRINGENT THAN FEMA'S OWN FLOOD MAPS.
AND WE PUT THE LEGISLATION IN PLACE THAT IF YOU BUILD IN CENTRAL, YOU HAVE TO BUILD TO THE STRONGER OF THE TWO.
IF FEMA HAS A HIGHER, UH, ISSUE IN THIS AREA, YOU HAVE TO BUILD TO THEIR ZONE.
IF WE DO, YOU HAVE TO BUILD TO OURS.
AND IF YOU TAKE ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE AND THEN APPLY IT TO THE CRS SYSTEM, THAT'S WHAT GAVE US THE, THE FIVE ON THE RATING.
NOW, THERE ARE OTHER COMMUNITIES WHO ARE NOW AT A FIVE, UH, ONE OF THE, THE, THE PITFALLS OF THAT IS, UH, HEY, YOU GET TO A FIVE, WE'RE GONNA SAVE 25% ON OUR PREMIUMS. BUT THEY DIDN'T REALLY ACCURATELY TELL US HOW THAT WAS GONNA WORK.
AND SO PREMIUMS STILL GO UP AND IT'S 25% OFF YOUR MAXIMUM PREMIUM RATE.
SO UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF POLITICAL BACKLASH, UH, WHEN, WHEN, YOU KNOW, WE PUT OUT THE FEMA NOTICE THEN, THEN THE RENEWALS CAME IN AND EVERYBODY'S LIKE, HEY, MY PREMIUM DIDN'T GO DOWN.
AND SO WE HAD TO CLARIFY THAT, UH, WITH FEMA.
AND, YOU KNOW, LOOK, UH, WITH EVERY GOOD THING THAT HAPPENS, IT, IT'S NOT ALWAYS PERFECT, BUT WE SEE THIS AS A GOOD THING FOR OUR CITIZENS.
WE HAVE AN ISSUE NOW, WE WOULD LIKE TO GET FEMA TO, UH, ADJUST THE MAPS.
HOWEVER, THEIR LIDAR IS OLD AND ANTIQUATED.
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LIDAR IN 2025 TO GET A MUCH BETTER PICTURE OF THAT.AND UNTIL THEY'LL AGREE TO USE OUR LIDAR TO REDO THEIR MAPS, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO IT BECAUSE OUR MAPS ARE WAY MORE ACCURATE.
THE, THE 2018 LIDAR WAS ON A NINE METER SQUARE, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, NEARLY 30 FOOT BY 30 FOOT, WHERE THE NEW LIDAR IS ON A NINE INCH SQUARE.
AND SO LITERALLY YOU CAN, BEFORE YOU GO CLEAN THE DATA UP, YOU CAN SEE WHERE DOGS ARE AT IN THE YARD.
WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE STATE FLY LIDAR.
I SERVE ON THE AMY RIVER BASIN COMMISSION, WHICH IS A HUGE WATERSHED, WHICH IS WHERE A LOT OF OUR DAMAGE HAS HAPPENED.
AND WE WANT TO MODEL THAT WHOLE WATERSHED.
UH, SO YOU CAN IMPLEMENT SOME OF THESE THINGS WE'VE DONE, UH, IN THE WATERSHED.
WE'RE HOPING THAT WHAT WE'VE DONE CAN HELP NOT ONLY LOCALLY BUT REGIONALLY WITH THE WATERSHED AND FLOOD INSURANCE.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING ABOUT ALL OF THAT.
UM, I'M THINKING ABOUT CRS COORDINATORS.
CAN YOU SORT OF BOIL DOWN A SHORT LIST OF, OF WHAT YOU DID? I HEARD THAT YOU HAVE BUILDING STANDARD REQUIREMENTS, YOU'VE EXPANDED YOUR BLOOD STORAGE CAPACITY, WHICH TOOK HOUSES OUT OF REPETITIVE LOSS.
SO I, I HEARD AT LEAST THREE INTENT, INTENTIONAL MAINTENANCE OF YOUR SYSTEMS, UH, MODELING AND, AND ALL OF THESE.
SO IT'S A HUGE, I I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT, I MEAN, THERE'S, EACH THING YOU DO IS A PERCENTAGE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM.
AND SO THE GOAL IS TO LOOK AT ALL THE DIFFERENT GRADING SYSTEMS AND WHAT YOU CAN IMPACT, TRY TO IMPACT.
UH, SO I WOULD SAY THERE'S ABOUT 30 THINGS WE DID.
I CAN'T NAME 'EM ALL 'CAUSE I, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR TWO BRAIN CELLS TO DO THAT, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT IT WAS A LOT AND, AND IT ALL WENT INTO IT.
LOOK, THE EARLY FLOWS, YOU GET CREDIT FOR EARLY WARNING BECAUSE ULTIMATELY IF YOU HAVE A, A PERSON WHO EVERY TIME THE WATER'S OVER THE ROAD IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE, THEY'RE WORRIED THEY'RE GONNA FLOOD, WE INTENTIONALLY DROPPED A GPS PIN LOCATION AT THAT AND MODELED IT FOR THEM SO THAT THEY CAN SEE, HEY, WHEN THE WATER'S ON THE ROAD, I KNOW I'VE GOT 10 INCHES BEFORE IT'S IN MY HOUSE.
AND SO THEY CAN WATCH ON THE GRAPH WHAT'S EXPECTED.
SO MOST OF THESE PEOPLE ALREADY HAVE EITHER NO TILE OR CONCRETE OR, OR, UH, CARPET OR CERAMIC THAT CAN BE JUST EASILY CLEANED.
SO THEN THEY KNOW, LET ME JUST LIFT MY COUCH UP BECAUSE I'M GONNA HAVE A HALF INCH OF WATER INSTEAD OF HAVING TO LIFT THEIR COUCH EVERY TIME THE THE STORM COMES.
BUT AGAIN, IT, ALL OF THOSE THINGS GO TOWARDS THE CRS RATING.
IT IMPROVES THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE BECAUSE THE ANXIETY THAT PEOPLE SUFFERED FROM THAT, YOU KNOW, I, I REMEMBER GETTING ON THE TRUCK AFTER BEING EVACUATED FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND, AND I THOUGHT BACK TO KATRINA WHEN I WAS GETTING ON THE ARMY TRUCK, AND THE GUY ASKED, ARE YOU OKAY? I SAID, I'LL NEVER ASK.
WHY DIDN'T THEY LEAVE? BECAUSE NONE OF US THINK IT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO US UNTIL IT DOES.
AND, UH, SO FROM THAT BIG PORTION OF OUR CITIZENRY HAVE SEVERE ANXIETY EVERY TIME WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT RAIN EVENT.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING ALL OF THAT.
LOWER PREMIUMS ARE GREAT, BUT NOT FLOODINGS EVEN BETTER.
UM, SO CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR AWARD, UM,
AND I WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU COULD SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WAS THAT CONCEPTUALIZED? HOW DID YOU GET IT OFF THE GROUND, AND HOW HAVE YOUR RESIDENTS RESPONDED? WE HAVE A GOOD TEAM AND, UH, CLAY TUFTS, WHO'S MY CHIEF OF STAFF, WE KEPT, UM, JUST TOP OF MIND.
WE KNEW WE NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING ON INSURANCE WHEN I WENT TO LDI I'S WEBSITE, LEARNED MORE ABOUT THE FORTIFIED HOMES PROGRAM? I THOUGHT IT WAS SO, UM, WELL LAID OUT AND BUILT IN PROTECTIONS AND THINGS THAT MADE ME, UM, REALIZE IT HAD, UM, I WOULD BE COMFORTABLE USING OUR PUBLIC FUNDS IN SUCH A WELL THOUGHT OUT PROGRAM.
AND SO, UM, I HAVE SOME SLIDES.
I DON'T KNOW IF I WILL BE ABLE TO, UM, SHOW THEM FROM HERE, BUT WE CREATED A, A PROGRAM WE CALLED, UM, RELIEF.
AND SO I'LL JUST TAKE YOU THROUGH A, A FEW VISUALS.
I DEFINITELY CAN'T READ IT FROM HERE.
SO THE GRANTS FROM THE STATE OBVIOUSLY ARE THE $10,000 GRANTS THAT PEOPLE APPLY FOR TO PUT A FORTIFIED ROOF ON THEIR HOME.
UM, AND VERY SIMPLE, IT JUST HAS TO BE YOUR PRIMARY HOME.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR HOME SET EXEMPTION, IT HAS TO BE IN, IN GOOD CONDITION, AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE INSURANCE.
SO, UM, THAT'S THE PROGRAM THAT WE WERE BUILDING ON, UH, FROM THE STATE AND THOSE IBHS FORTIFIED ROOFING CERTIFICATES.
IT'S RENEWABLE EVERY FIVE YEARS.
IT'S TRANSFERRABLE IF YOU SELL YOUR HOME.
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ULTIMATELY IT REDUCES THE COST OF YOUR HOME INSURANCE BY GETTING THESE FORTIFIED ROOFS, THE WIND AND HAIL PORTION.SO WHAT WE NOTICED THOUGH, WHEN WE STARTED WORKING WITH LDI IS IN JEFFERSON, WHEN WE GOT THE STATISTICS, WE LOOKED AT THE NUMBERS AND WE REALIZED ALMOST HALF OF OUR RESIDENTS WHO GOT THE GRANTS FROM THE STATE WERE TURNING THAT $10,000 BACK TO THE STATE UNUSED AND NOT PUTTING THE FORTIFIED ROOF ON THEIR HOME.
AND ALL OF US KNOW WHAT A ROOF COSTS AVERAGE $16,000.
I WAS LIKE, I DON'T WANT ANY JEFFERSON RESIDENT TURNING THAT MONEY BACK INTO THE STATE.
I WANNA SEE IT USED ON A ROOF ON THEIR HOME.
SO THE CONCEPT WAS HOW DO WE MOVE THE NUMBERS FROM THE 54% TAKE RATE SUCCESS RATE THAT WE WERE SEEING, UM, AT THE START, 46% FAILURE RATE, RETURNING THAT BACK TO THE STATE, HOW DO WE MOVE THE NUMBERS? SO WE CREATED SOMETHING THAT IS A GAP FUNDING PROGRAM.
IF THE STATE'S GIVING YOU 10,000 AND THE ROOF COSTS YOU 16, HOW DO YOU BRIDGE THE GAP OF THAT, THAT AMOUNT IN BETWEEN AND NOT HAVE PEOPLE TURN IN THE GRANT MONEY, UH, UNUSED.
SO WE TOOK SOME LOCAL FUNDING.
EACH OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS GOT $500,000.
IT WAS INTEREST OFF OF AN ACCOUNT THAT WAS GENERATING A GOOD BIT OF MONEY.
WE EACH TOOK 500,000 AND COULD PUT IT TO A USE THAT WE THOUGHT WAS IMPORTANT.
THIS IS THE CONCEPT THAT WE CAME UP WITH.
SO WE WORKED WITH LDI, CHRIS JANOWSKI, THE WHOLE STAFF, THE COMMISSIONER, THEY WERE WONDERFUL.
AND WE SAID, CAN YOU GIVE US THE DATA THAT IN ROUND SEVEN OF YOUR PROGRAM, WHOEVER YOU SELECT IN JEFFERSON, WE WANNA REACH OUT TO THEM AND SAY, IN ADDITION TO THE 10,000 YOU'RE GETTING FROM THE STATE, YOU'RE GETTING 5,000 FROM US.
SO THAT WE'RE HOPING THEY, IN THEIR MINDS, WILL CHOOSE TO GO FORWARD AND PUT THE ROOF ON AND NOT TURN THE MONEY BACK IN.
WE PARTNERED, UM, WITH JEFFERSON PARISH FINANCE AUTHORITY.
IT'S A NONPROFIT FOCUSED ON HOME OWNERSHIP.
THEY ACTUALLY WERE THE ONES THAT HELPED US CUT THE CHECKS TO THE ROOFERS AT THE END OF THE PROCESS.
ONCE LDI HAD GONE THROUGH THE PROGRAM AND EVERYTHING WAS CHECKED OUT, AND THE HOME GOT THE ROOFING CERTIFICATE, THE IBHS CERTIFICATE AND THE STATE CUT, THE $10,000 CHECK, THEY SENT US A LIST OF THAT HOMEOWNER, THE ROOFING CONTRACTOR VERIFICATION THAT THE $10,000 CHECK HAD BEEN CUT.
THEN OUR GAP FUNDING KICKED IN.
AND SO JPFA WAS THE ONE ACTUALLY CUTTING THE CHECK TO THE ROOFER, UH, AT THE END OF THE PROCESS.
AND THEY WERE TREMENDOUS, UM, PARTNERS.
THIS IS A MAP OF UPPER JEFFERSON PARISH.
WE DO ACTUALLY GO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO GRAND ISLE.
SO THE GRAND ISLE IS NOT ON THE MAP, BUT WHAT THIS SHOWED WAS IN ROUND SEVEN, UM, THERE WAS REALLY GOOD DISTRIBUTION.
WHEN THE STATE SAYS IT'S RANDOM SELECTION, IT REALLY IS.
AND WE WERE DELIGHTED TO SEE THAT THAT HOMES ACROSS OUR PARISH WERE SELECTED.
SO THIS IS THE, THE ROUND THAT WE DID AS A PILOT PROGRAM WAS SEPTEMBER OF 25, 700 HOMES WERE SELECTED BY LDI IN THE COASTAL REGION OF THE STATE.
220 OF THOSE WERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH.
BY THE TIME THEY WEEDED THROUGH THE ONES THAT MAYBE WERE RENTALS, NOT HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION HOMES IN GOOD CONDITION WITH INSURANCE, WE WERE DOWN TO 125 HOMES THAT WERE GREEN-LIGHTED TO PARTICIPATE.
SO THAT WAS REALLY THE NUMBER WE WERE WORKING WITH AT THE END OF OUR PROGRAM, 107 OF THOSE 125 HOMES DID SUCCESSFULLY INSTALL A FORTIFIED ROOF ON THEIR HOME.
THE AVERAGE COST OF THE ROOF WAS 16 SEVEN.
AND THE AVERAGE OUT OF POCKET, AND THIS IS A A NUMBER WE'RE PROUD OF THE HOMEOWNER, WAS AVERAGE OUT OF POCKET $4,000 FOR A BRAND NEW RESILIENT ROOF.
SO THIS TO ME, REALLY SHOWED THAT WE COULD HELP PEOPLE BRIDGE THAT GAP AND GET THE NEW ROOF ON THEIR HOME.
UM, EVERY COUNCIL DISTRICT, THOSE OF YOU IN GOVERNMENT KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU WANNA SEE EVERYBODY BENEFITING.
SO ALL OF OUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS WERE TOUCHED.
UM, WE CERTAINLY LEARNED THAT THE MOST PARTICIPANTS AND THE MOST SUCCESS WERE IN THE MORE AFFLUENT AREAS.
UM, BUT EVERYBODY WAS TOUCHED POSITIVELY.
SO AGAIN, IT GIVES US GOOD DATA TO BUILD ON.
UM, SO THIS WAS ONE OF OUR WEST BANK, UM, COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
THIS IS ONE OF OUR EAST BANK COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
AGAIN, IT JUST SHOWED GOOD, GOOD DISTRIBUTION AND GOOD PARTICIPATION HELPING TO GET THE WORD OUT AND PARTICIPATE.
SO THE PROGRAM ALONE, THE STATE'S PROGRAM ALONE, WE SAW A ABOUT A 55% SUCCESS RATE, 45%, UM, TURNING THE MONEY BACK IN WITH OUR GAP FUNDING, IT BECAME 86% SUCCESS RATE, ONLY 14% OF THE MONEY GOING BACK TO THE STATE.
SO THE NUMBERS REALLY DRAMATICALLY CHANGED AND WE WERE DELIGHTED.
AND OF COURSE, PEOPLE, WE SURVEYED OUR PARTICIPANTS AND THEY SAID IT WAS DEFINITELY DRIVING
[00:25:01]
THE COST OF THEIR HOME INSURANCE DOWN WAS THE REASON THEY PARTICIPATED.UM, AND THEY WANTED TO SEE, UM, SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS.
LDI AGAIN TELLS YOU ALL THE INSURANCE COMPANIES AND WHAT THEY GIVE YOU AS A DISCOUNT FOR A FORTIFIED ROOF.
SO THESE WERE THE DISCOUNTS PEOPLE EXPECTED TO SEE, UM, IN THE MULTIPLE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WHY THEY WERE PARTICIPATING.
WE DID ASK, AND, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY THINK ABOUT DOING THIS IN YOUR PARISH, UM, WE DID ASK, WOULD YOU HAVE PARTICIPATED IF THE GAP FUNDING WAS $2,500 INSTEAD OF 5,000? AND I WAS GLAD TO SEE THAT, UM, THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE SAID YES, THERE WOULD BE NO DIFFERENCE.
SOME DID SAY THAT THEY WERE SOMEWHAT LESS LIKELY HAD IT BEEN A LOWER NUMBER.
UM, BUT AGAIN, UH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT MY FUNDING SOURCE WILL BE LONG TERM.
THAT'S OUR NEXT STEP TO FIND A, A PERMANENT FUNDING SOURCE, LONG-TERM FUNDING SOURCE.
BUT PEOPLE WERE LIKELY TO CONTINUE EVEN IF I COULD GIVE THEM A LITTLE LESS GAP FUNDING.
UM, AND THEN THE LAST THINGS WE TOUCHED ON WERE JUST, UH, AGAIN, ANY USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS YOU WANT PEOPLE TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF.
THAT'S HOW YOU USING THEIR TAX DOLLARS AND THEIR FUNDS.
AND PEOPLE OVERWHELMINGLY SAID THEY SUPPORTED CONTINUING TO USE THEIR LOCAL FUNDING IN THIS WAY IN A GAP FUNDING PROGRAM.
UM, AND THAT THEY THOUGHT IT WAS AN EXTREMELY VALUABLE PROGRAM IN HELPING TO IMPROVE OUR RESILIENCE AND LOWER INSURANCE COSTS.
SO, UM, OUR NEXT STEPS ARE GONNA BE TO IDENTIFY A LONG-TERM FUNDING SOURCE HELP OTHER PARISHES.
I SEE A COUNCILWOMAN HERE FROM, UH, ST.
WE'VE TALKED WITH MULTIPLE OTHER PARISHES.
NEW ORLEANS IS NOW DOING ITS OWN PROGRAM.
IT DOES HAVE AN INCOME COMPONENT BECAUSE OF THEIR FUNDING SOURCE, BUT WE'RE REALLY DELIGHTED TO BE A RESOURCE TO HELP OTHER PARISHES DO SOMETHING SIMILAR BECAUSE OUR GOAL IS TO GET TO 20% OF OUR HOMES IN OUR REGION TO BE FORTIFIED.
AND, UH, ASHLEY VAN DE MULIN, I KNOW WHO'S WITH COMPASS INSPECTION, WE DID A ROAD SHOW TOGETHER AND, UH, TRYING TO GET OUR, OUR HOMEOWNERS MORE, UM, JUST EDUCATED ABOUT ALL OF THIS AND THAT 20% IS OUR GOAL.
SO, UM, WE'RE GLAD TO SEE THE, THE HOMES THAT NOW, JUST LIKE YOU WERE SAYING THERE, NOT ONLY DID THE HOMEOWNERS TELL US THEY WERE HAPPY TO SEE THE INSURANCE COSTS GO DOWN, BUT THEY SAID THE PEACE OF MIND THAT THEY HAVE FROM BEING IN A HOME WHERE THEY KNOW THEIR ROOF IS RESILIENT, THEY KNOW THEIR ROOF IS STRONG, THEY DON'T HAVE THAT ANXIETY EVERY TIME A STORM THREATENS.
A TRULY IMPRESSIVE STORY, AND IT'S SO HEARTENING TO HEAR THAT OTHERS WANNA REPLICATE IT.
MR. BARTH, YOU'VE DEVOTED YOUR CAREER TO COASTAL ENGINEERING WORK THAT PROTECTS AND RESTORES LOUISIANA'S COAST.
AS CHIEF OF OPERATIONS AT CPRA, YOU INTERFACE WITH DIVERSE PARTNERS, UH, AND INTERESTS THAT CARE ABOUT THE HEALTH OF THAT COAST, INCLUDING INSURERS AND REINSURERS.
CAN YOU SHARE ABOUT YOUR EFFORTS TO EDUCATE INSURERS AND REINSURERS ABOUT THE COASTAL MASTER PLAN? AND CAN YOU SHARE ABOUT WHAT SORTS OF QUESTIONS YOU GET FROM THEM, UM, AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO KNOW TO SUPPORT THEM DOING BUSINESS IN LOUISIANA? YEAH, GREAT QUESTION.
UM, SO LEMME JUST START OFF A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE COASTAL MASTER PLAN.
FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO THIS BY THE LEGISLATOR EVERY SIX YEARS.
UH, 2023 WAS OUR LAST MASTER PLAN IN 2029, OBVIOUSLY WE WILL BE OUR NEXT MASTER PLAN.
BUT THE, THE IMPORTANT THING TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE COASTAL MASTER PLAN AND, AND, AND MAYOR EVANS HIT ON THIS A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, IS DATA AND INFORMATION.
UM, IF YOU'RE IN THE FEMA WORLD, YOU'RE WORKING OFF OF 20 PLUS YEAR OLD DATA AND INFORMATION A LOT OF TIMES TO GO IN AND LOOK AT UPDATE MAPS.
SO WE HAVE A COAST WIDE REFERENCE MONITORING SYSTEM, OVER 400 DATA STATIONS ALONG OUR COAST THAT WE COLLECT DATA ON, UH, ANYTHING FROM WATER LEVELS TO SALINITIES TO WHAT TYPES OF VEGETATION EXISTS IN DIFFERENT AREAS, WHETHER IT'S SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA, CENTRAL LOUISIANA, OR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA.
AND ALL THAT INFORMATION AND DATA THAT WE COLLECT IN ON A DAILY BASIS IN A YEARLY BASIS THEN GETS FED INTO THE NEXT MASTER PLAN.
AND WITH THAT MASTER PLAN, WE'RE LOOKING AT A COMBINATION OR A SUITE OF PROJECTS FROM THE FLOOD RISK REDUCTION SIDE, OUR STORM SURGE, AND THEN OUR RESTORATION SIDE EFFORTS AND TRYING TO BUILD THE MOST RESILIENT PROJECTS THAT WE CAN SELECT EVERY SIX YEARS TO MOVE FORWARD INTO, INTO ENGINEERING, DESIGN PLAN AND CONSTRUCTION.
UM, SO THAT WAY EVERY SIX YEARS WE'RE GETTING A FRESH LOOK AT WHAT ARE THE BEST PROJECTS TO PUT ON.
WE'RE NOT RELYING ON A, A PROJECT THAT WAS VETTED 20 SOME YEARS AGO OR SO.
AND SO A LOT OF THE CONVERSATIONS, THIS GOES BACK TO PROBABLY ABOUT 2024 WHEN WE FIRST STARTED, UM, GETTING INVOLVED WITH LDI AND, UH, COMMISSIONER TEMPLE AND THE INSURANCE AND REINSURANCE INDUSTRY WAS
[00:30:01]
MAINLY JUST SHOWING 'EM WHAT, WHAT COASTAL LOUISIANA IS DOING AS AS A STATE.BUT THEN THE CONVERSATIONS GREW.
WELL, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S INTEREST IN THE STATE IN THIS AREA? AND WHAT'S THE LOCAL INTEREST? AND SO A LOT OF THAT HAS BEEN JUST ABOUT SHARING THE COMMITMENT, UM, NO MATTER WHAT THE HISTORY IS ON, ON, ON POLITICS OR GOVERNORS, BUT THAT COMMITMENT TO HAVE A SUSTAINABLE COAST THAT WE WORK IN, THAT WE, UH, RESIDE IN AND THAT WE RECREATE IN.
UM, AND THAT CONTINUED EFFORT, BUT HAVING THAT, UM, UH, ALIGNED POSITION ACROSS MULTIPLE LAYERS OF GOVERNMENT TO PURSUE PROJECTS TO PURSUE RESILIENCE ON OUR COAST.
SO THAT'S FIRST AND FOREMOST IS, IS THAT EDUCATION AND, AND SHOWING THEM THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE GOING.
BUT WITH THAT GOES THE COMMITMENT FOR FUNDING, UH, FROM FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL PARTNERS.
UM, AND THEN ALSO JUST THE MASSIVE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION AND DATA THAT THAT IS OUT THERE THAT WE POTENTIALLY CAN SHARE WITH THE INSURANCES INDUSTRY, WITH THE REINSURERS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY, UM, FROM THEIR SIDE HAVE TO EVALUATE RISK.
AND WHEN IT COMES INTO EVALUATING RISK, THEY'RE LOOKING AT, AT MODELS AND INFORMATION TO ASSESS WHAT KIND OF DOLLAR AMOUNT TO PUT ON THAT RISK.
AND, AND SO IF WE AS A STATE OR LOCAL OR OR FEDERAL PARTNERS HAVE INFORMATION THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH AN INSURANCE INFORMATION SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO TAKE A GUESS, THEY CAN PLUG IN SOMETHING.
WE MIGHT NOT LIKE THE ANSWER, BUT IF THEY CAN THEN HAVE THAT INFORMATION TO PUT INTO THEIR MODEL, THEN THEY'LL HAVE MORE CERTAINTY ON, ON WHAT THEIR RISK IS AND, AND CAN PUT BETTER FORTH, BETTER PRICING AND SO FORTH.
SO A LOT OF OUR QUESTIONS HAS BEEN ABOUT EDUCATION AND WHAT INFORMATION WE CAN SHARE AND WHAT WE HAVE GOING.
SO HAVE THEY ASKED TO HAVE THAT DATA? AND I'M CURIOUS IF THEY WANT JUST CURRENT DATA OR ARE THEY INTERESTED IN TRYING TO GET AHEAD AND UNDERSTAND WHAT'S, WHAT'S COMING WITH THE PROJECTS AND HOW THAT MIGHT CHANGE RISK? YEAH, I THINK THAT'S CONTINUED CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW THAT WE'RE HAVING RIGHT NOW WITH, WITH CERTAIN CERTAIN GROUPS ABOUT THAT DATA AND WHAT THINGS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THAT WE CAN POINT THEM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WHERE SOME OF THOSE SOURCES OF DATA, UM, ALL THE DATA THAT CPRA COLLECTS IS, IS OPEN SOURCE PUBLIC INFORMATION.
YOU CAN FIND IT ON OUR SIMS WEBSITE AND OUR REMS WEBSITE THROUGH OUR, THROUGH OUR, THROUGH OUR WEBSITE.
I KNOW WE USE THAT DATA AT THE WATER INSTITUTE ON THE REGULAR, SO THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT ALL AVAILABLE.
UM, NEXT QUESTION IS FOR, UM, MAYOR EVANS AND CHAIRWOMAN VAN BRACKEN.
UM, STEPPING BACK FROM SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT UNDER CRS AND THE FORTIFIED GAP PROGRAM, COULD YOU TALK A BIT ABOUT HOW CENTRAL AND JEFFERSON PARISH ARE EMBRACING RESILIENCE AND MITIGATION PROJECTS SORT OF MORE BROADLY? UM, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST MEANINGFUL WAYS THAT YOU SEE YOUR COMMUNITIES INVESTING IN RESILIENCE? AND WHAT ARE YOUR LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT LEADING AND SUPPORTING THAT WORK? I'LL GO, I'LL GO FIRST.
SO I THINK UNDERSTANDING YOUR PERIL, YOUR PERILS, YOU KNOW, GOT THE COASTAL AND SO, AND LOUISIANA'S A VERY UNIQUE STATE THAT, THAT YOUR, YOUR PERILS THAT CAN DAMAGE SOMETHING IS, ARE VASTLY DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE.
AND SO I THINK KNOWING YOUR PERILS IN YOUR LOCATION, UM, A GREAT EXAMPLE IS, SO WE'VE HAD A BIT OF A DROUGHT CENTRAL.
AND SO WE KNEW BECAUSE OF THE DROUGHT AND BECAUSE WE HAD A HIGH WIND EVENT, WE KNEW WE WERE GONNA HAVE TREES DOWN.
AND SO I THINK THAT THE THING IS UNDERSTANDING THE PERILS, BEING CONSTANTLY AWARE AND DOING EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO MITIGATE ANY OPPORTUNITIES.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE DO LOCALLY IS, UH, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE CREWS THAT WORK IN OUR CITY AND WE HAVE HOTSPOTS.
SO WE KNOW IF WE HAVE A MULTIPLE DAY RAIN EVENT COMING, THAT WE WE'RE GONNA HIT THE HOTSPOTS, WHICH IS TYPICALLY BRIDGE CROSSINGS, CULVERT CROSSINGS, AND, AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS CLEAN AND FLOWING.
ALRIGHT, YOUR FIRST TIME OF THAT RAIN EVENT IS GONNA WASH WHATEVER IS IN THE CANALS AND DRAINAGE THAT HAS DISLODGED FROM A TREE OR WHEREVER, AND IT'S GONNA WASH IT BACK TO THAT HOTSPOT.
AND SO YOUR FIRST DAY OF THAT EVENT, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE HIGHER WATER THAN YOU WILL AFTER, BECAUSE THEN WHEN THE WATER RECEDES, YOU GO BACK TO THE HOTSPOTS AND THEN YOUR CANALS ARE CLEAN AGAIN.
AND IT, SO IT'S JUST A CONSTANT BATTLE.
BUT MANAGING THE EXPECTATIONS, GOING IN, MAKING SURE YOUR CITIZENS KNOW, HEY, WE'RE OUT HERE DOING THIS.
[00:35:01]
BENEFIT OF DOING THE WORK IS YOU HAVE A TRACK RECORD OF PROOF OF THE WORK BEING DONE AS WELL AS RESULTS FROM THE WORK BEING DONE.UM, THERE ARE SOME PERILS WITH GOING OUT AND DIGGING DITCHES, UH, AND YARDS THAT PEOPLE ARE USED TO BEING ABLE TO MOW WITH THEIR LAWNMOWER BECAUSE WHEN A DITCH IS DUG TO ITS ORIGINAL CAPACITY, IT'S NO LONGER EASY TO RIDE YOUR LAWNMOWER DOWN IN IT.
AND SO YOU HAVE THAT, UH, YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE CUSTOMER, IF YOU WILL, THE TAXPAYER.
AND HOW DO, HOW DO YOU MANAGE THAT? AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE DO LOCALLY IS IF PEOPLE CAN'T MAINTAIN THEIR DITCH, WE SPEND MONEY WITH A GRASS CONTRACTOR TO TAKE CARE OF ALL THE ROADSIDE CUTTING ANYWAY, WE ADD THOSE DITCHES.
'CAUSE TECHNICALLY THEY'RE CITY RIGHT OF WAY.
THEY'RE NOT THE HOMEOWNER'S PROPERTY.
AND WE, WE'VE HAD TO FLEX BEFORE WHEN PEOPLE SAY, YOU'RE NOT WELCOME ON MY PROPERTY.
WELL, I'LL GET A SURVEY CREW OUT HERE TO SHOW YOU WHERE YOUR PROPERTY STARTS.
UM, AND, AND SO YOU HAVE THOSE GIVE AND TAKES AND, AND SOME ISSUES YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
BUT OVERALL, THE RECEPTION'S BEEN GREAT BECAUSE IN CENTRAL WE'RE IN EASTBOUND ROUGE PARISH, WE'VE HAD THESE SIGNIFICANT RAIN EVENTS AND EVERYBODY AROUND US IS HAVING PROBLEMS EXCEPT US.
AND SO THE PROOF'S IN THE PUDDING.
AND SO THE PEOPLE KNOW THAT, YEAH, THE WORK IS A PAIN.
AND IF YOU ENCOUNTER AN EXCAVATOR AT A BRIDGE CLEANING SOMETHING, IT'S AN INCONVENIENCE FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO STOP OR GO AROUND.
AND SO MANAGE AN EXPECTATIONS.
UH, WE, WE, WE'VE DONE QUITE A BIT OF ROAD WORK, UH, IN OUR CITY.
WE'VE REPLACED 45 MILES OF ROADS IN FOUR YEARS.
AND SO WITH THAT COMES A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION.
UH, AND THEN, AND HIGH INTENSITY PROJECTS, I ACTUALLY GO PUT ON A VEST AND HAND OUT LITTLE JESUS FIGURES AND REMIND EVERYONE THAT, THAT EVERYBODY NEEDS A LITTLE JESUS.
UH, WE'VE GOTTEN A VERY WARM RECEPTION.
WE'VE GIVEN OUT ABOUT 1400, UH, AND ONLY THREE PEOPLE HAVE SAID, I'M NOT INTERESTED IN YOUR JESUS.
SO, UH, THAT'S BEEN A GOOD THING.
UH, WE JUST, WE TRY TO BE IN FRONT.
WE TRY TO BE OUT FRONT LEADING AND, AND, AND BEING PRESENT.
UH, THE LOCALIZED DETENTION AREAS ARE GREAT.
AND WHEN THEY COME TO FRUITION FULLY, UH, PART OF THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK IS REAL PAIN, UH, WORRYING ABOUT IF WE'RE GETTING RID OF A TURTLE, YOU KNOW, AND PEOPLE DON'T CARE ABOUT A TURTLE.
UH, SO WE'VE HAD ONE OF OUR PROJECTS GET PUSHED.
UH, THERE'S A LARGE DETENTION PROJECT, UH, BECAUSE OF A, A TURTLE, WHICH IS MIND BLOWING TO ME THAT WE'VE ALLOWED OUR GOVERNMENT TO BECOME SO ENTRENCHED IN THINGS THAT REALLY, YOU KNOW, THE TURTLE WILL MOVE AND IF IT DON'T MOVE, THEN THAT, THAT'S GOTTA BE THE END OF IT.
UH, SO MY MY POINT IS, I THINK GOVERNMENT IN MANY WAYS IS BROKEN.
AND SO OUR JOB IS TO FIX IT AS, AS BEST WE CAN AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
AND HOPEFULLY THE, THE NEXT LEVEL TAKES NOTICE.
AND, AND THEN THE STATE TAKES NOTICE.
AND MAYBE ONE DAY THE FEDS WILL TAKE NOTICE THAT THERE'S A BETTER WAY OF DOING THINGS.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE PUSHING FOR IS TO LET US MANAGE THE PROJECTS.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE SHOWN A TRACK RECORD.
AND SO CHANGING THAT AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL'S VERY DIFFICULT.
BUT WE'VE GOTTA, WE'VE GOTTA GET LEGISLATORS AND, AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS TO UNDERSTAND WE CAN DO IT JUST AS THEY CAN DO IT.
THAT'S PART OF THE BIG PROBLEM WE HAVE.
AND I, I REALLY LIKE WHAT YOU SHARED ABOUT HOW YOU DO THE PROJECTS, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO DO THE COMMUNICATION, RIGHT? AND THAT'S PART OF BEING A LEADER IS, IS KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE TO DO THAT COMMUNICATIONS PIECE, SET EXPECTATIONS, EXPLAIN WHY IT'S HAPPENING AND HOW IT BENEFITS PEOPLE.
SO YEAH, IT, IT DOES CREATE OTHER PROBLEMS THOUGH, BECAUSE THEN YOUR, YOUR CITIZENS BECOME VERY EXPECTING, UH, AND I DON'T WANNA SAY SPOILED, BUT GOD FORBID THEY ENCOUNTER SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T SEND A NOTICE OUT ON.
LET'S SAY THERE'S A WRECK THAT HASN'T, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE WE SEND NICKEL NOTICES.
I MEAN, I HAVE A PIO THAT TEXTS STUFF OUT THROUGHOUT THE DAY, REMINDERS.
AND, UH, IF IF WE DON'T HAVE SOMETHING AND, AND SOMEBODY ENCOUNTERS IT, THEN THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, FACE SOCIAL MEDIA IS A CANCER.
BUT, UH, WELL, YOU KNOW, THE REWARD FOR GOOD WORK IS MORE WORK, RIGHT?
CHAIRWOMAN, DO YOU WANNA CHIME IN A LITTLE BIT? SO WE'VE JUST GOTTEN TO KNOW EACH OTHER, UM, IN A BONDING MOMENT THAT I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU REALIZE.
MY DAD, JOHNNY VAN RANKIN, WE, WE GREW UP AROUND A, A FAMILY BUSINESS.
HE ORDERED SEVERAL HUNDRED LITTLE MINI JESUS.
AND HE GOES AROUND GIVING LITTLE JESUSES TO EVERYBODY AND ACTUALLY PUT IT ON THE BACK OF HIS NAVIGATOR.
SO IF YOU'RE IN TOWN AND YOU SEE A NAVIGATOR ROLLING DOWN THE STREET WITH JESUS LOVES YOU, AND A LITTLE MINI JESUS, THAT'S
[00:40:01]
MY DAD,SO, UM, RESILIENCE, THE EDUCATION THAT YOU JUST HIT ON, I THINK IS SO IMPORTANT.
AND IT'S WHY I MENTIONED ASHLEY, UH, EARLIER.
HE GOES, HE'S PART OF THE, YOU KNOW, VERIFICATION THAT YOUR ROOF IS TRULY A FORTIFIED ROOF, OR HE'LL COME TO YOUR HOUSE AND DO A MITIGATION SURVEY, A WIND SURVEY, YOU KNOW, AND WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR HOUSE'S RESILIENT.
SO YOU CAN SEND THAT INTO THE INSURANCE COMPANY.
AND SO WE ACTUALLY DID A ROAD SHOW, UM, WHERE EVERY CIVIC GROUP THAT WAS MEETING IN JEFFERSON PARISH, WE WENT AND SHOWED A PRESENTATION.
WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT IS A FORTIFIED ROOF, WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT THAN YOUR CURRENT ROOF? UM, WHY DOES IT MATTER? HE TELLS A PERSONAL STORY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, LOSING 13 SHINGLES AND IT RESULTED IN THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF DAMAGE ON HIS HOME.
UM, WHICH WAS HIS, HIS MOTIVATION, HIS WHY EDUCATION AND ALL OF THIS IS SO IMPORTANT.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE CAN, UM, DO A SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY BY GETTING OUT, BY GIVING THEM GOOD, CLEAR INFORMATION ON, UM, THINGS THAT ARE MORE RESILIENT.
UH, BEFORE I WAS COUNCILWOMAN AT LARGE, REPRESENTING ALL OF JEFFERSON PARISH, I REPRESENTED THE METTIE AREA AND METTIE THE, YOU KNOW, THE NORTHERN PART OF METTIE IS LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN.
AND SO THANKS TO NOAH AND CPRA AND AND MULTIPLE OTHER FUNDING SOURCES, WE BUILT A LIVING SHORELINE IN FRONT OF THE FEDERAL LEVY, UM, TO BE ANOTHER LAYER OF DEFENSE.
AND PART OF THE VALUE IN THAT, UM, WAS IN METAIRIE, YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, UM, MORE THAN A HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE WHO WILL SEE WITH THEIR OWN EYEBALLS, SOMETHING THAT THEY UNDERSTAND IS LIKE A SPEED BUMP FOR THE HURRICANE COMING IN IN FRONT OF THE LEVEE, WHICH WE KNOW LEVEES AND FLOOD WALLS CAN FAIL.
AND SO HAVING EYEBALLS UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF MULTIPLE LINES OF DEFENSE AND BUILDING IN RESILIENCE, UM, THAT WAS PART OF THE VALUE IN THE PROJECT.
IT, IT CERTAINLY TESTED SOMETHING FOR US.
AND DOES IT LENGTHEN THE LIFE OF OUR LEVIES? DOES IT MAKE THE WHOLE THING MORE RESILIENT BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT THAT IN FRONT OF IT? UM, BUT IT WAS REALLY ABOUT EDUCATING THE PUBLIC.
AND THAT'S WHERE I THINK WE ALL HAVE A ROLE IN GOVERNMENT.
UM, THERE WAS A PARK SPACE THAT WE BUILT ON MET ROAD, INSTEAD OF JUST DOING REGULAR LANDSCAPING.
UM, WE BUILT IN THINGS THAT SHOWED BIOSWALES NATURAL PLANTS, NATIVE PLANTS THAT CAN SUCK UP WATER.
UM, WHAT YOU COULD DO AT, AT YOUR OWN HOME.
ALONG CAUSEWAY, WE DUG HUGE DETENTION PONDS BECAUSE AGAIN, CAUSE NOT CAUSEWAY, I'M SORRY.
CLEARVIEW USED TO REALLY FLOOD AND IT WAS A PROBLEM FOR PEOPLE JUST TRYING TO GET TO AND FROM WHEREVER THEY NEEDED TO GO.
SO NOW THEY SEE THESE HUGE PONDS DUG ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THAT THEY KNOW THAT'S PART OF WHAT TAKES THAT WATER AWAY FROM THE ROADWAY AND GIVES IT A PLACE TO GO.
SO WE REALLY, I THINK IN GOVERNMENT HAVE, UM, A ROLE TO PLAY IN EDUCATING PEOPLE AND THEY REALLY ARE GETTING IT.
AND THE BEAUTIFUL THING IS WHEN YOU PUT SOMETHING OUT, UM, AND PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IT, AND THEN THEY CAN REPEAT IT OR DEMAND IT.
SO RIGHT NOW, UH, WE HAVE A BEAUTIFICATION GROUP THAT CAME FORWARD TO THE PARISH AND SAID, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TREES AND WE HAVE TOO MUCH CONCRETE.
AND SO THEY IN THE COMMUNITY NOW ARE PUSHING GOVERNMENT TO, TO MAKE CHANGES.
ONE IS TO PLANT MORE TREES AND REBUILD OUR TREE CANOPY, WHICH IN JEFFERSON IS 17 OR 18% WHEN I THINK THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IS 40.
UM, SO THEY'RE PUSHING THE PUBLIC NOW IS EDUCATED AND PUSHING THAT.
AND THE OTHER THING WE'RE NAVIGATING RIGHT NOW IS HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE SOMEONE DOESN'T COME IN AND BUILD A NEW HOME AND CONCRETE THE WHOLE FRONT YARD? SO THEN I'VE GOTTA PUMP EVERY DROP OF WATER SOMEWHERE.
COULD YOU HAVE A LITTLE GRASS? COULD YOU HAVE SOME PERMEABLE, YOU KNOW, UM, SURFACES.
AND SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE WORKING ON SOMETHING, UM, THAT WILL REQUIRE A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF, OF THE FRONT YARD TO BE, UM, PERMEABLE AND ALLOW THE WATER TO GO INTO THE GROUND.
UM, LIKE, UH, LIKE THE MAYOR, I LIKE GOVERNMENT.
SO I ASKED THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, I SAID, PLEASE DON'T CREATE ANOTHER HURDLE.
PLEASE DON'T CREATE ANOTHER PERMIT.
UM, COULD YOU DO THIS IN A WAY WHERE WE JUST BUY, RIGHT, BUILD SOME THINGS IN AND PEOPLE HAVE OPTIONS AND WE CAN EDUCATE THEM ABOUT IT.
AND SO IT WAS REALLY WONDERFUL TO SEE A DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT, UM, CREATE A PATH FOR THE FUTURE WHERE SOMEONE WILL BE INCENTIVIZED TO PUT IN SOME GRASS AND SOME PERMEABLE THINGS, NOT HAVE ANOTHER PAIN TO GO THROUGH WITH GOVERNMENT.
UM, BUT JUST INCORPORATING IT INTO JUST UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY AND EMPOWER PEOPLE TO DO IT, EMPOWER PEOPLE TO BE EDUCATED.
[00:45:01]
UH, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL BECAUSE FEMA RISK RATING 2.0 IS BEYOND STUPID.AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS I KNOW G AND O INC IS, IS PULLING OUR 10 LOCAL PARISHES TOGETHER TO DO, IS TRY TO PUSH FOR SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE A NATIONAL CATASTROPHIC MODEL, WHICH IS SOMETHING I'D LOVE TO ULTIMATELY HAVE SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH WITH THOSE IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY.
BUT IF WE KNOW WE'RE PRONE TO HURRICANES AND CALIFORNIA'S PRONE TO EARTHQUAKES AND WILDFIRES AND OTHER PLACES ARE, YOU KNOW, RISING WATER AND RIVERS THAT THEY GET FLOODING, IS THERE SOME BENEFIT TO US NOT JUST HAVING FLOOD INSURANCE, NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE, BUT HAVING SOME SORT OF PROGRAM THAT SPREADS THE RISK.
EVERYBODY HAS SOME THREAT TORNADOES.
THE MODEL THAT WE USE ACTUALLY IN TALKING ABOUT THAT IS THE MAP OF BILLION DOLLAR DISASTERS ACROSS THE US UM, A YEAR AGO.
AND THEY SHOW YOU ALL THE BILLION DOLLAR DISASTERS ON THE MAP AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S NOT ON THERE, HURRICANES, BECAUSE THAT YEAR WE WEREN'T HIT BY A HURRICANE, THANK GOD.
SO, UM, IT REALLY ILLUSTRATES, IT'S NOT JUST US.
PEOPLE OFTEN SAY LIKE, WHY DO YOU LIVE IN LOUISIANA? UM, BUT EVERYBODY HAS A THREAT.
AND SO IF WE COULD ALL PULL OUR RESOURCES TO SAY LIKE, WHEN IT'S YOU AND THE WILDFIRE, WE GET IT.
WHEN IT'S US IN A HURRICANE, WE GET IT.
SO SENATOR TROY CARTER ACTUALLY WAS ONE OF THE FOUR PEOPLE THAT INTRODUCED SOMETHING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL TO START EXPLORING, UM, WOULD THERE BE VALUE IN IN THAT KIND OF CONCEPT AND MAYBE REPLACING RISK RATING 2.0 AND THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM WAS AS WE KNOW IT.
SO THAT'LL BE SOMETHING, UM, I'D LIKE TO TO TO CONTINUE TO BE PART OF.
I KNOW NAT KAT IS SOMETHING A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM PROBABLY WOULD LIKE TO CHAT ABOUT MORE AND, AND THINK ABOUT AND TALK ABOUT.
UM, BOTH OF YOU SHARED REALLY GOOD EXAMPLES OF WHAT CAN BE DONE AT THE MUNICIPAL AND THE PARISH LEVEL.
UM, I'M GONNA TURN TO MR. BARTH TO SORT OF BRING IT UP TO REGIONAL AND, AND STATEWIDE, UM, CPRA IS DOING, UM, GREAT WORK AT THOSE LEVELS AND I WANTED TO ASK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THOSE COASTAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES CAN BUILD RESILIENCE AND, AND WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET BIG PROJECTS DONE? YEAH, NO, GREAT QUESTION.
SO, UM, IT'S, THIS TOPIC IS REALLY EASY FOR US 'CAUSE WE ONLY REALLY HAVE ONE MISSION GO BUILD THINGS ON OUR COAST, WHETHER IT'S MARSH CREATION PROJECTS, SHORELINE PROTECTION PROJECT, HYDROLOGIC RESTORATION PROJECTS, UM, LEVEE PROJECTS, FLOOD WALLS AND GATES AND SO FORTH.
SO THAT'S REALLY ALL OUR MISSION IS, IS TO GO BUILD THINGS ON OUR COAST THAT ADD TO OUR RESILIENCY.
BUT IN TERMS OF BIG PROJECTS AND IMPLEMENTATION AND JUST EVEN OUR YEAR OUT, YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT IMPLEMENTATION, UH, GO BACK TO OUR, OUR BASE PLAN, OUR COASTAL MASTER PLAN, WHICH GETS US GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION EVERY, EVERY THAT SIX YEAR CYCLE.
BUT ALSO WE ALSO HAVE AN ANNUAL PLAN THAT WE HAVE TO PUT THROUGH TO LEGISLATOR EVERY YEAR, UM, TO MAKE SURE WE CAN GET THE DOLLARS, UM, OBLIGATED OR APPROPRIATED BASICALLY THROUGH THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
SO THEN WE CAN GO DO AND IMPLEMENT THESE THINGS.
AND I'LL SAY SINCE CPA HAS BEEN STOOD UP IN, IN THE MID TWO THOUSANDS, WE HAVE A VERY GOOD TRACK RECORD OF THAT ANNUAL PLAN, UH, MOST TIMES ARE NOT BEING UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED BY BOTH THE, THE, THE, UM, SENATE AND ALSO THE HOUSE AT THE STATE LEGISLATOR LEVEL.
SO QUITE A GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THAT ALIGNMENT THROUGHOUT ALL THE STATE GOVERNMENT THEN TO GO PUT THESE AND IMPLEMENT THESE PROJECTS.
UM, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT BIG PROJECTS OR MEGA PROJECTS, OBVIOUSLY ALIGNMENT ON, ON, UM, THE PRIORITIZATION OF THESE PROJECTS THROUGH THAT MASTER PLAN PROCESS.
UM, SO YOU'LL SEE THIS IN TERMS OF OVERALL FUNDING.
SO WE MAY HAVE PROJECTS THAT, THAT HAVE ALL THREE LEVELS TIED TOGETHER WITH FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL, OR IT COULD JUST BE AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL, OR JUST AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL.
SO, UH, OBVIOUSLY FUNDING IS ALWAYS GONNA BE A BIG KEY PIECE TO ANYTHING THAT WE DO FOR RESILIENCE AT THE STATE, LOCAL LEVEL.
UM, THE COUNCILWOMAN SPOKE TO THIS ABOUT GAP FUNDING, UH, WITH FORTIFIED ROOF AND SO FORTH.
SO UBER IMPORTANT ON HAVING ALL THAT ALIGN.
AND SO THE BETTER THAT OUR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CAN HAVE THE TOOLS IN PLACE TO IMPLEMENT TO SAY, HEY, LOOK, THIS IS OUR PLAN, THIS IS HOW WE DO IT, AND IT'S SO MUCH EASIER TO MAKE SURE THAT FUNDING COMES YOUR WAY WHEN IS IS ALL MAPPED OUT AND THEY KNOW IT WORKS.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN ASKED TO LEAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME FOR QUESTIONS.
UM, SO I'M GONNA HAVE TO SKIP SOME OF MINE, BUT I'M GONNA ASK FOR A LIGHTNING ROUND.
UM, SO THE LAST QUESTION I WANTED TO
[00:50:01]
ASK Y'ALL WAS ABOUT YOUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE AROUND RESILIENCE.AND IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING SHORT TERM THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE HOPING TO LEARN OR A CONVERSATION YOU WANNA HAVE HERE AT THE CONFERENCE, UM, OR SOMETHING MORE LONG TERM.
UM, HOPES ABOUT THE WAYS THAT COMMUNITIES, BUSINESSES, AND INDIVIDUALS CAN, CAN BUILD RESILIENCE.
SO MAYBE A MINUTE EACH, WE'LL DO A LIGHTNING ROUND.
UM, AND WHOEVER WANTS TO START, I'LL START.
I THINK WITH RESILIENCE, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THERE'S A BENEFIT COST ANALYSIS SITUATION WITH EVERYTHING WE DO.
AND SO WE NEED TO FOCUS ON, UH, THE OBVIOUS, UH, THE LOW HANGING FRUIT AS AS IT GOES TOWARDS HOW DO WE HARDEN OUR COMMUNITIES, BUT ALSO IT'S ABOUT COLLABORATING AND GETTING OUT OF OUR SILOS, WORKING ACROSS AGENCIES.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT BRAD HAS TO DEAL WITH IS, IS CROSS JURISDICTIONS WITH PARISHES AND PROJECTS.
YOU KNOW, SO YOU MAY HAVE STATE AND LOCAL, UH, BUT THEN YOU HAVE PARISHES THAT THAT CAN OR ADJOINED AND YOU GOTTA WORK ACROSS THAT, DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES, DIFFERENT FUNDING.
AND SO I THINK WE NEED TO WORK AS BEST WE CAN TO LOOK AT THE BIGGER, MOST IMPACTFUL PROJECTS AND THEN WORK OUR WAY BACKWARDS.
I, I'LL GO AHEAD AND BUILD OFF THAT TOO.
UM, MAYOR EVANS TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WORKING ACROSS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL TALK ABOUT WATER DOESN'T KNOW WHAT PARISH BOUNDARIES, RIGHT? UM, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, ON THE, ON THE STATE GOVERNMENT LEVEL ALSO THAT CROSSTALK AND, AND AND COORDINATING WITH OTHER AGENCIES.
SO HERE IN THIS PUSH TO GO GET INFORMATION ABOUT INSURERS AND REASSURES, YOU KNOW, NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO ON OUR NON-STRUCTURAL SIDE OF THE SHOP THAT WE DO, WHERE WE WE'RE HELPING OUT WITH SOUTHWEST COASTAL WITH THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS OUT IN THE LAKE CHARLES AREA, CAMERON, AND, AND, AND THOSE AREAS OUT THERE ABOUT RAISING HOMES.
IT'S ALSO, WELL NOW WE NEED TO GET TOGETHER WITH, WITH COMMISSIONER TEMPLE AND HIS GROUP ABOUT LINKING THOSE, THOSE TWO THINGS TOGETHER BECAUSE WE RAISE A HOME, WE PUT IT IN A HIGHER WIND FIELD AT THE SAME TIME, SO, HMM.
IT'S PROBABLY A PRETTY GOOD IDEA IF WE CAN GET THEM LINKED UP WITH A FORTIFIED ROOF AT THE SAME TIME.
SO JUST OVERALL CROSSTALK, UH, BETWEEN STATE AND LOCAL ENTITIES ABOUT HOW WE CAN PARLAY OUR, OUR FUNDING TO GET MORE BANG FOR OUR BUCK FOR OUR COMMUNITIES.
WE'RE ON SIMILAR PAGES BECAUSE JUST BEING IN THIS ROOM AND HAVING SO MANY CONVERSATIONS TODAY, IT'S PUT A LOT ON OUR RADAR OF WHAT CAN WE DO NEXT? AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAPPY TO CONTINUE THIS PROGRAM AND FIND A FUNDING SOURCE, BUT HEARING ABOUT YOUR EARLY FLOW SYSTEM AND I, I WANNA GO CHECK THAT OUT NOW THAT I KNOW WE CAN DO LIDAR DOWN TO WHAT NINE WOULD YOU SAY? NINE INCHES INSTEAD.
UM, HOW DO WE USE TECHNOLOGY? HOW DO WE USE WHAT'S WORKING SOMEWHERE ELSE AND MAKE SURE WE'RE BRINGING THAT TO OUR CONSTITUENTS.
WE CAN LEARN FROM EACH OTHER, WE CAN COLLABORATE, UM, AND GET BETTER OUTCOMES IF WE'RE EACH DOING SOMETHING AND BUILDING OFF THE OTHER.
UM, AND THEN REGIONAL CAP COLLABORATION.
YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE HAVE PEOPLE FROM EVERYWHERE.
I'M FROM THIS REGION AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE EVEN DOING, WE'RE HOSTING A DINNER WHERE THE COUNCIL CHAIR PEOPLE OF ALL THE 10 REGIONAL PARISHES HERE WILL GET TOGETHER MAYBE THE FIR FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.
UM, AND JUST TALK AND UNDERSTAND LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON? I KNOW ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES IS ACTUALLY MATTHEW WILLARD IN NEW ORLEANS IS REPLICATING THE FORTIFIED ROOF PROGRAM AND THE GAP FUNDING DOING IT A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY AND I'M INTERESTED TO LEARN FROM HIS MODEL.
SO JUST THAT COLLABORATION AND LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER, UM, IS, IS WHAT I'M MOST EXCITED ABOUT.
I LOVE THAT IT'S ALL ABOUT BUSTING DOWN THOSE SILOS, RIGHT? AND LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER AND REPLICATING.
UM, I THINK WE HAVE A COUPLE RUNNERS OUT THERE WITH MICRO JOHN'S GOT ONE.
UM, THERE'S ANOTHER, SO ANYONE HAVE A QUESTION FOR OUR PANELISTS? IS THERE CRITERIA CONNECTED TO THE GAP THAT'S AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITIES? IS THERE ANY SPECIFIC CRITERIA THAT YOU HAVE TO MEET TO QUALIFY FOR THE ADDITIONAL $5,000 IN OUR PROGRAM? NO, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
WE, BECAUSE WE WERE DOING A PILOT PROGRAM WITH A LIMITED AMOUNT OF FUNDING, WHEN I LOOK TO THE STATE'S PROGRAM, THE WAY THEY SET IT UP I THOUGHT WAS VERY SIMPLE, VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
THE ONLY CRITERIA AS I MENTIONED IS THAT IT'S YOUR PRIMARY RESIDENCE, IT'S YOUR DOMICILE WHERE YOU HAVE YOUR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, UM, THAT IT'S IN GOOD ORDER AND THAT YOU HAVE INSURANCE.
UM, WE STUCK WITH THAT SO THAT IT MADE IT SIMPLE FOR US BECAUSE ANYONE WHO WAS IN JEFFERSON WHO WAS MEETING EVERYTHING THAT LDI WAS ASKING OF THEM FOR THE FORTIFIED HOMES PROGRAM, THEY WERE AUTOMATICALLY ELIGIBLE FOR OUR 5,000.
SO WE DIDN'T ADD ANY CRITERIA.
[00:55:01]
NOW OUR MONEY DID NOT HAVE ANY STRINGS BECAUSE AGAIN, IT WAS INTEREST OFF OF A A, A GENERAL MONEY.WE HAD GENERAL BUDGET MONEY, UM, IN NEW ORLEANS BECAUSE THE FUNDING SOURCE, UM, DOES HAVE SOME STRINGS ATTACHED.
THE WAY NEW ORLEANS PROGRAM IS WORKING IS THERE IS AN INCOME COMPONENT.
SO I WILL BE VERY CURIOUS TO LEARN FROM MY COLLEAGUE MATTHEW WILLARD, HOW ARE THEY, UM, ASKING FOR INFORMATION, UM, WHAT IS THE INCOME RESTRICTION OR THE INCOME COMPONENT TO IT AND HOW ARE THEY, UM, HAVING THAT VETTED AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
THEY'RE GOING ONE ADDITIONAL STEP IN HAVING TO DO THAT WORK.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS NEW ORLEANS IS PARTNERING WITH NORA, IF I'M CORRECT.
LIKE WE PARTNERED WITH THE FINANCE AUTHORITY, UM, AND NORA IS HELPING THEM VET THAT COMPONENT OF INCOME ELIGIBILITY.
UH, AND, AND WE DON'T HAVE UNLIMITED FUNDS, SO AT SOME POINT WE MIGHT MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION WHERE WE HAVE AN INCOME RESTRICTION OR SOME SORT OF ELIGIBILITY, BUT RIGHT NOW THERE'S NONE.
IT'S JUST WHAT LDI I'S CRITERIA WAS WITH FORTIFIED HOMES, THAT'S OUR CRITERIA AND YOU'RE AUTOMATICALLY ELIGIBLE FOR THE ADDITIONAL 5,000.
WE'D HAVE TIME FOR ONE MORE IF THERE'S ONE MORE QUESTION OUT THERE.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR SPENDING SOME TIME WITH US TODAY.
UM, SO WE'VE SPOKEN A LOT ABOUT HOW YOU GUYS ARE WORKING WITH CONSTITUENTS TO MAKE THEIR CONCERNS HEARD, BUT HOW ARE WE CONTINUING TO NAVIGATE WITH PEOPLE LIKE INSURANCE AGENTS SO THAT THEY CAN ALSO EDUCATE YOUR CONSUMERS? SO I THINK IT'S IT'S KEY AT, AT THE LOCAL LEVEL FOR LEADERSHIP TO BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED WITH YOUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT BE THROUGH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OR, OR SOME TYPE OF OTHER ENTITY.
AND, AND SO WE GIVE MONTHLY UPDATES AT OUR CHAMBER LUNCHES, UH, FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON AND, AND ALL OF OUR METHODS.
AND I THINK IT'S CRITICAL AT, AT THE LOCAL LEVEL THAT THE LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATES WHAT'S GOING ON.
WE ALSO PUT STUFF OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIAS OR THE DIFFERENT SOCIAL MEDIA, UH, PLATFORMS, AND WE UTILIZE THE, THE NEWS MEDIA TO OUR ADVANTAGE.
ONE OF THE THINGS, UH, THAT I'VE LEARNED IS WHEN YOU DO GOOD WORK, THE NEWS MEDIA IS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A TWO MINUTE AND 22ND FILLER SOMEWHERE, AND THEY'RE HAPPY TO TALK TO YOU.
AND SO USE THE TOOLS THAT YOU HAVE AT YOUR DISPOSAL TO COMMUNICATE WHAT'S GOING ON AND HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN YOUR AREA.
THAT WAY THE AGENTS IN YOUR AREA KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
THIS IS ACTUALLY, UM, A PERFECT ILLUSTRATION OF THIS GATHERING.
I HAD SOMEONE, UM, COME TO ME WHILE I WAS HERE AT THE CONFERENCE AND SAID SHE'S FROM THE INSURANCE SIDE OF THINGS, THE ADJUSTER SIDE OF THINGS, AND THAT IT REALLY COULD BE HELPFUL FOR US TO EXPLORE TOGETHER.
UM, COULD WE EDUCATE OUR PUBLIC BETTER TO UNDERSTAND IF THERE IS A STORM, WHAT THEY'RE ABOUT TO FACE, HOW THEY HAVE TO FILL THINGS OUT, HOW THEY HAVE TO NAVIGATE THE PROCESS.
UM, AND THAT'S SOMETHING I THINK THERE WOULD BE GREAT VALUE TO BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE WILL BE ANOTHER STORM.
AND IF SOMEONE FROM THE INDUSTRY CAN HELP US BREAK IT DOWN FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS, AND WE CAN SAY, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT YOUR POLICY, TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA ENCOUNTER.
IF YOU HAVE TO MAKE A CLAIM, HOW TO NAVIGATE THAT.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN PARTNER ON FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY.
AND IN JEFFERSON, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE LIKE 16 LIBRARY LOCATIONS.
WE COULD GO TO EACH LIBRARY AND, AND HOST A COMMUNITY EDUCATIONAL, UM, OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE.
IF YOU SAY, COME OUT AND WE'RE GONNA TELL YOU ABOUT MAKING, UM, AN INSURANCE CLAIM, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM BECAUSE WE ALL FEAR, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THAT.
UM, SO REALLY IT COULD BE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO EDUCATE TOGETHER, TO MAKE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, THE PROCESSES LESS SCARY FOR PEOPLE AND MORE EFFICIENT.
AND, UM, THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT THAT INDUSTRY COULD, COULD WORK WITH US ON.
EDUCATION, COMMUNICATION, AND PARTNERSHIP AT THE END.
PLEASE JOIN ME IN THANKING OUR PANELISTS TODAY.