Federal Disaster Declaration Approved for Louisiana Following Hurricane Francine
BATON ROUGE, La. – Governor Jeff Landry announced on Tuesday that the White House has granted Louisiana a major disaster declaration in the wake of Hurricane Francine. This declaration enables the state to access federal assistance, including temporary housing, home repairs, and low-cost loans to aid recovery efforts.
The hurricane primarily caused flooding, which led many residents to drop their flood insurance due to the unaffordable premiums under the current Risk Rating 2.0 system. Senator Bill Cassidy (R) highlighted the urgency of reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) before its expiration on September 30th. Cassidy emphasized his support for Senator John Kennedy’s (R) leadership in this reauthorization effort and stressed the need to make flood insurance more affordable.
While flooding was the main source of damage, some property damage also occurred. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple (R) noted that recent insurance reforms, including the Fortified Roof Program, significantly mitigated property damage. “Thousands of new roofs installed after hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Zeta performed well during this event,” said Temple.
Temple reassured that Hurricane Francine has not deterred insurance companies from considering Louisiana. He explained, “Companies interested in Louisiana are not swayed by a single event like Francine. Insurance companies are accustomed to managing risks, and those truly committed to the state are not dissuaded by such incidents.”
For those dealing with property damage, Commissioner Temple urged residents to document their losses with photos and videos to support their insurance claims effectively.
