Some 31%, or 110,000, of the homes within the nine-parish greater Baton Rouge region are located in areas that were subject to historic flooding in Louisiana, according to the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s preliminary analysis of the potential impact of the flood.
The total estimated value of the homes is a staggering $20.7 billion, BRAC says, adding that the figure does not include the value of damage to the homes, the value of their contents or the value of automobiles lost to the flood.
Overall, 21%, or 7,364, of businesses representing 73,907 workers in the Capital Region are located in areas that were subject to flooding, says BRAC. Figures regarding the number of housing units—32,857 in East Baton Rouge Parish and 48,827 in Livingston Parish—in flood-stricken areas are not complete estimates, BRAC says.
“As Louisiana slowly turns its attention from response to recovery, it is not too soon to start assessing the potential magnitude of the flood’s impact,” the chamber says, adding that it hopes the analysis will help increase awareness of the flood’s impact on people and property.
More than 20 parishes have been declared federal disaster areas. The American Red Cross has called the catastrophic flooding in Louisiana the worst U.S. natural disaster since Superstorm Sandy.
“This disaster is still unfolding like a slow-moving freight train. Homes and businesses are still being hit by new flooding in lower southwest Louisiana and Ascension, St. John, and St. James parishes,” BRAC writes.
The preliminary analysis only focuses on the greater Baton Rouge region, where all of the parishes, with the exception of West Baton Rouge, have been declared disaster areas.
According to BRAC, 280,910 residents in the Baton Rouge metropolitan area live in flood-impacted areas. In East Baton Rouge alone, the preliminary analysis shows the effects of the floods crossed racial lines, as 47.6% of impacted residents are black and 46.5% are white.
In Livingston Parish, the impact is severe, BRAC writes. In that parish, 125,113 residents and 3,305 businesses, employing 27,653 workers, are located in flood-ravaged areas. Those figures represent 91% of all businesses and 94% of employees in Livingston Parish.
“BRAC believes that this preliminary analysis begins to paint the compelling picture of the human toll inflicted by the flood, the magnitude of the impact it has already had on people where they live and work, and the potential challenges they face in the days, weeks and months ahead,” the chamber says, adding that its analysis shows that a relatively small percentage of homeowners in the region have flood insurance.
—Alexandria Burris
