Cassidy Announces $163 Million for Flood Mitigation Projects Throughout Louisiana

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today announced $163 million in federal funding for several flood mitigation projects across Louisiana.

“Louisiana experienced devastating floods in recent years that accelerated the need to develop infrastructure projects for flood-prone communities,” said Dr. Cassidy. “These funds deliver protection to residents and businesses and will considerably reduce the risk of flooding.”

The money released is part of the $1.2 billion in flood mitigation funding for Louisiana which Cassidy secured from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2019.

Cassidy played a key role in getting the Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) Program funded for the first time ever in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

Congress appropriated $12 billion in CDBG-MIT funds in the Bipartisan Budget Act specifically for flood mitigation projects for qualifying disasters from 2015-17. HUD also allocated an additional $3.9 billion to bring the total amount of mitigation funds to nearly $16 billion.

Projects receiving funding include:

$42 million for construction and drainage improvements on the Louisiana Highway 22 bridge in Ascension and Livingston Parishes.
$25 million for Mermentau Basin inundation relief project in Cameron and Vermillion Parishes.
$15 million for drainage improvements in Livingston Parish.
$14.3 million for watershed improvements along Anacoco Creek in Vernon Parish.
$12.8 million for flood surcharge management for Bundick Lake in Beauregard Parish.
$10.2 million for retention improvements and critical infrastructure hardening along Turkey Creek in Franklin Parish.
$10 million for residential elevations and buyouts in St. Tammany Parish.
$10 million for residential elevations and buyouts in Vermillion Parish.
$6.6 million for structure hardening and runoff retention improvements along Black Bayou in Caddo Parish.
$5 million for the University Lakes flood risk reduction project in East Baton Rouge Parish.
$3.7 million for drainage improvements at LSU Alexandria in Rapides Parish.
$2.9 million for backwater flood reduction at Three Mile Lake in St. Landry Parish.
$2.7 million for flood surcharge management at Caney Lake in Jackson Parish.
$2.2 million for runoff retention and critical infrastructure improvements along Bayou Cocodrie in Rapides and Evangeline Parishes.
$1.1 million for Iatt Lake drawdown improvements in Grant Parish.

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