The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA)’s Flood Risk and Resilience Program, which is an integral part of the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, focuses on increasing flood risk awareness, implementing nonstructural projects, and supporting policies that promote greater resilience across the coast. So, how does this program give consideration to the needs of low to moderate income (LMI) households?
CPRA considers the needs of these vulnerable households most specifically through nonstructural project recommendations, which include home elevation and voluntary acquisition for residential structures. LMI households are those that are 50-80% below the median income level as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and may be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of flooding.
CPRA recognizes the added challenges that LMI households face when preparing and responding to flood events and has designed the Flood Risk and Resilience Program to require that parishes target and prioritize LMI properties during the nonstructural implementation process. CPRA will work with parishes to develop a consistent process for prioritizing structures and will offer several options for homeowners to receive proof of LMI consideration during the application process.
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For more information of how LMI households are included in the Flood Risk and Resilience Program, please see Section 4.2.2 Phase II: Initial Assessment in the Appendix E: Flood Risk and Resilience Program Framework and Section 2.4 Prioritizing Mitigation of LMI structures in Attachment E4: Parish Applicant’s Handbook.
To see an estimate of your coastal flood risk today and in the future, both with and without master plan projects, visit our Master Plan Data Viewer.