Calcasieu Parish Police Jury is helping mitigate flooding in the parish by buying out or elevating certain properties. At the Thursday, August 3 meeting, ordinances were adopted to approve the purchase of the following properties through funding received from the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP): 1486 Tomahawk Dr., Moss Bluff, $281,000; 839 Jacox Lane, Lake Charles, $50,000; 4725 East Greenfield Circle, $250,000; 7196 Moss Lane, Carlyss, $940,000.

These buyouts were 100 percent funded with FEMA HMGP, whereby the Parish will purchase the property for the appraised values as listed, plus all costs related to the appraisal, demolition and closing.

So far, this year, the parish has used FEMA HMGP monies to purchase 18 properties, excluding the above, 1401 Matthew Dr., Lake Charles, $271,500; 1380 Pin Oak Dr., Lake Charles, $246,500; 4301 Dean St., Lake Charles, $92,500; 7120 Boisclair Dr., Lake Charles, $96,000; 2601 Prienwood Dr., Lake Charles, $180,000; 5742 Alder St., Lake Charles, $320,000; 5038 Country Club Court, Lake Charles, $282,000; 3119 General Patton, Lake Charles, $55,000; 621 Sundale Drive, Lake Charles, $135,000; 7883 Gulf Highway, Lake Charles, $165,000; 4008 Genessee Street., Lake Charles, $184,000; 1322 Pamela Street, Lake Charles, $180,000; 1612 Sage Drive, Lake Charles, $170,000. All properties were 100 percent funded with FEMA funds. The buyout of 932 Joe Miller Road was funded only to 90 percent.

“From 2023 to about 2025/2026, we expect to complete approximately 58 buyouts and 124 elevation projects, said Jennifer Cobain, CPPJ manager of federal grant programs.

Cobain explained that money for the buys comes from two FEMA grants, one of which was matched by the state.

Properties were selected by CPPJ staff who reviewed the properties to determine which met FEMA eligibility requirements, according to Cobain.

“The main eligibility requirement is FEMA’s cost benefit analysis (BCA), which is  based on “a series of complex calculations completed inside FEMA BCA software,” Cobain said. “BCA qualifies in dollars how much flood damage will be avoided if the property were to be mitigated. When that cost is higher than the cost of completing the project, then FEMA considers the project to be cost beneficial.”

Prior to 2023, the parish completed 52 buyouts and 89 elevations.