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(08/24/22) BATON ROUGE, La. — On August 29, Louisiana marks the 17th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the first anniversary of Hurricane Ida.
August 29 to September 2 is Louisiana Flood Awareness Week, an opportunity to educate citizens, businesses and students on ways to best prepare for, and mitigate against, flood damage.
“Every home in Louisiana has the potential to flood even if it has never flooded,” Carol Friedland, director of the LSU AgCenter LaHouse Resource Center said. “The anniversary of these storms is a reminder that adequately preparing your home is the best way to reduce damage and having a plan for your family is the best way to stay safe in a flood.”
There are many ways to protect your home from flooding. On an existing home, installing floodwalls can prevent water from entering the home. It may also be worth it to explore the option of elevating your home if flooding is a recurring problem. A quicker way to reduce damage after a flood is to elevate appliances like washers and dryers, so they won’t be damaged by floodwater.
If constructing a home, explore the option of elevating it by one or two feet above the base flood elevation or the ground to protect it from rising water. Using flood resilient construction materials further prevents damage that may occur if homes are flooded.
It’s a great idea to always keep a “go bag” packed and ready if your family needs to quickly evacuate due to a flood. Go bags should contain supplies, copies of personal documents, clothes and food that doesn’t need to be cooked to last your family about three days.
LaHouse is a one-stop resource for information on sustainable, resilient and healthy homes in the Gulf region’s climate. Visitors can explore the home’s signs, reveals, displays and free educational material to learn more about the advantages of a resilient home. The facility is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To learn more about the resources available at LaHouse, visit www.lsuagcenter.com/LaHouse.
