Editorial: Aid, yes, but talk changes
Lafayette Parish residents got a cold splash of reality from Gov. John Bel Edwards this week.
Visiting flood-ravaged Youngsville, Edwards told residents there — more than 600 in that town had water in their homes — that the Federal Emergency Management Agency can’t make them “whole.”
No, it can’t. Most Louisianans affected by the flood did not have flood insurance. That’s at least understandable, because so many who were flooded were not living in what the government believes are flood zones.
“It’s very similar to stories we’ve heard all over South Louisiana,” Edwards said of his Youngsville visit. “Historic, unprecedented flood. Homes here have never flooded before. They don’t live in a flood zone.”
Flood zone or not, though, Louisiana is a water-rich environment. There are 5,000 miles of navigable water. It borders the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River, one of the major water systems in the world. Flood possibilities shift with every development.
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The Red River bisects Louisiana and other, robust rivers cut across and through it. We have bayous and canals, swamps and wetlands.
When it comes to water, Louisiana is a geographic wonder. It is the stuff of legends, too. Evangeline and Gabriel might tell you that, if those fictional characters could.
The hard truth that Edwards delivered is that without flood insurance, affected homeowners may have to depend on the slow, uncertain wheels of government for additional help. FEMA can help some — up to $33,000, but likely less.
The unnamed flood that beset 20 Louisiana parishes from Aug. 11-13, America’s largest natural disaster since Superstorm Sandy, has changed lives here, and not for the better.
Edwards has made a pitch directly to President Obama for help additional to that which FEMA routinely provides; Louisiana’s congressional delegation, which is not without skills and influence, must make the case to their colleagues for supplemental help.
That may be out of character for some of our delegation, which oftentimes preaches limited, not robust, government. It comes during the political campaign season, too. Flood insurance and coastal management are campaign issues that may have moved up — should have moved up — the political pecking order.
The state seems to be functioning at a high level for affected citizens. The federal government, too, is established on the ground and distributing good information as quickly as possible. That’s not easy, especially with so many people displaced.
But when it comes to help, a federal government that’s $20 trillion in debt seems an unlikely bet to solve every citizen’s need in times of high water.
Louisianians need solutions for the flood effects now, but the country needs more planning and options for offering flood insurance and protections later. It’s campaign season: What better time to talk?