Louisiana set to file lawsuit against FEMA over flood-insurance rules
State officials plan to file a lawsuit Thursday against a federal agency over new flood insurance rules they say are making costs unaffordable for many Louisiana homeowners.
Attorney General Jeff Landry, Solicitor General Liz Murrill, Greater New Orleans Inc. CEO Michael Hecht along with parish presidents and levee district directors are expected to announce a lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency's lack of transparency around Risk Rating 2.0 at Greater New Orleans, Inc., 1100 Poydras Street, Suite 3475, New Orleans, at 10 a.m.
“FEMA’s flawed flood insurance formula will force Louisiana families and homeowners into bankruptcy or foreclosure,” Landry said. “We are fighting to protect these hard-working people from this latest federal abuse.”
The litigation has been gathering steam for some time as the Lafourche Government, Terrebonne Parish Government, and the local levee districts all voted to join the lawsuit back in March.
Risk Rating 2.0 is a new method FEMA uses to assess flood risks across the country, and according to FEMA officials, the goal is equity. Locally, it has raised the cost of living for most people in Terrebonne and Lafourche, and officials say it does not accurately reflect flood reduction measures both parishes have put in place.
The increases will be a slow burn, limited by law to 18% per year. The average total increase to Lafourche will be 321%, and for Terrebonne, 305%. The hardest hit parish is Plaquemines, which will see a 545% increase.
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Over 12,000 Lafourche Parish policyholders saw an increase in their rates from $1-$100, while 350 saw a decrease. Terrebonne Parish had over 14,500 policyholders see a similar increase, while 590 saw a decrease.
The North Lafourche Levee District joined the lawsuit, Tuesday, March 21, and Director Dwayne Bourgeois said litigation was a last resort. He said he and others had been trying to get answers from FEMA about discrepancies they found in the rates for areas in Lafourche.
"They seem to go against logic in that some of the areas not currently mapped by FEMA for example as not being in a flood zone have some of the highest rates," Bourgeois said. "We've questioned the methodology and got no response."
Federal lawmakers have been calling for transparency for months. Back in June of 2022, Rep. Steve Scalise said he and other Louisiana Lawmakers were asking for FEMA to explain the reasoning for the cost increase but talks went nowhere.
On May 8, he and 49 other Congress members penned a letter demanding transparency from FEMA laying out 13 questions requesting the inner workings of how flood insurance prices are determined, and what economic impacts the rollout would have on the country.
This article originally appeared on The Courier: Louisiana set to file lawsuit against FEMA over flood-insurance rules
