2017 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 83
BY SENATORS WHITE, ALLAIN, APPEL, CHABERT, CORTEZ, DONAHUE, ERDEY,
FANNIN, HEWITT, LAMBERT, MIZELL, PERRY, TARVER,
THOMPSON AND W ALSWORTH
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request that the federal funds received by Louisiana through the Community
Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery Program relative to damages caused
by the flooding in the state during 2016 be subject to the same legislative oversight
as the oversight required for the allocation and expenditure of federal funds received
by Louisiana through the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery
Program relative to damages caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
WHEREAS, during the months of March and August 2016, the state of Louisiana
suffered two separate flooding events, each of which devastated large portions of the state;
and
WHEREAS, in March of last year the state was struck with a weather event
beginning Tuesday, March 8th, and continuing off and on through Saturday, March 12th,
bringing recorded rainfall amounts of twenty inches or more and resulting in extreme flash
flooding, the closing of numerous roadways, and the evacuation of homes and businesses
in many locations; and
WHEREAS, the official airport reporting station in Monroe had picked up in excess
of twenty inches of rain from March 8th through March 11th; and
WHEREAS, major flooding also swamped the Shreveport area, where up to eighteen
inches of rain fell; and
WHEREAS, flooding from the March event prompted evacuations in Greenwood,
Haughton, Homer, Minden, and Rayville, Louisiana, and resulted in record crests on Bayou
Dorcheat at Lake Bistineau, Bogue Chitto River near Bush, Bogue Falaya River in
Covington, Little River of Louisiana near Rochelle, and Tchefuncte River near Folsom and
close-to-record crests on the Amite River at Bayou Manchac Point, Amite River at Port
Vincent, Bayou D'Arbonne at Lake D'Arbonne, Big Cypress Creek at Mooringsport, Bogue
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Chitto River at Franklinton, Calcasieu River near Glenmora, Calcasieu River near Oberlin,
Pearl River near Pearl River, Red River at Shreveport, Sabine River at Logansport,
Tangipahoa River at Robert, Tchefuncte River near Covington, and Tickfaw River at
Liverpool, among others; and
WHEREAS, the August flood, which was described as the worst natural disaster in
the United States since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, damaged hundreds of thousands of homes
in the state and forced thousands of citizens into emergency shelters; and
WHEREAS, the August event started with a slow-moving low pressure weather
system passing through the state producing unprecedented rainfall and leaving as much as
two feet of rain in a twenty-four hour period in portions of the parishes of East Baton Rouge,
Livingston, and St. Helena; and
WHEREAS, further rain that followed affected the parishes of Tangipahoa, East
Feliciana, Washington, Ascension, Lafayette, Iberville, and St. Martin; and
WHEREAS, many affected by the rising waters in the August event had to be
rescued by boat or helicopter, resulting in the formation of the famed "Cajun Navy"; and
WHEREAS, the education of thousands of school children in the areas affected by
the flooding was adversely impacted; and
WHEREAS, the task of restoring and rebuilding in the affected areas is massive and
complex; and
WHEREAS, despite the efforts of the state to obtain funding from the federal
government to assist in the rebuilding process, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development's disaster recovery funding, the Community Development Block
Grant–Disaster Recovery Program, has thus far provided only a fraction of the funding
needed by citizens for restoration and rebuilding of their homes, businesses, and lives; and
WHEREAS, it is an essential function of the legislature to monitor the use of these
funds as they are spent to rebuild and restore the state, as was done in the years following
hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana take the
necessary steps to ensure that federal funds received by Louisiana through the Community
Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery Program relative to damages caused by
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flooding in the state during 2016 be subject to the same legislative oversight as the oversight
required for the allocation and expenditure of federal funds received by Louisiana through
the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery Program relative to damages
caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Governor John Bel Edwards and to the executive director of the Louisiana Office of
Community Development–Disaster Recovery Unit.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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