LAPLACE — The National Flood Insurance Program expires next year, which could impact residents and business people across the River Parishes.

Kent Lomax, fleet manager of Rainbow Chevrolet, said all the flood policies in place are going to go away, adding something new will have to take their place.

“The issue is, if it’s still going to be run by the federal government, private insurance or a combination of both,” Lomax said. “It appears after the beginning of the year, after the elections, there is going to be a lot of posturing in Congress.”

Lomax said he learned the National Flood Insurance Program expires Sept. 30, 2017, during his recent trip to Washington D.C. as part of a River Region Chamber of Commerce effort to speak with the state’s federal representatives.

Following the meetings, Lomax said it’s important to continue to communicate with Congress once the posturing is done and votes have been cast to see how it impacts the River Parishes.

Flood insurance, Mississippi River dredging and flood protection were a few topics discussed during the routine Chamber-led communication.

Chamber members spoke with congressmen and senators one-on-one about the issues.

Chamber Board members said one of the new issues brought up by U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, was the fact private insurance companies are going to start selling flood insurance, which could have an adverse impact on the national flood insurance.

Another hot button topic discussed was the dredging of the Mississippi River and draft restrictions that directly impact industries.

Port of South Louisiana Executive Director Paul Aucoin said a draft restriction means instead of operating in 45 to 47 feet of River depth; a ship coming in might only be able to operate in 41 or 42.

“That’s a difference of five feet, meaning the ship has to come in lighter — it’s not fully loaded,” Aucoin said. “There is a draft restriction because of sediment in the River. Because of sediment, the River becomes unreliable and people are going to go somewhere else where they can maximize their load.”

Aucoin said there are 17 industries operating in the Port of South Louisiana and they count on the Mississippi River staying properly dredged.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in charge of dredging of the River, according to Henry Friloux of Echo Ventures.

Friloux, a Chamber Board member, said Chamber members learned dredging along the River would improve if the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (WRDA) bill is passed.

“There is a law that requires (Corps) to dredge 50 feet and all the ships pay a fee annually to keep that happening,” Friloux said. “Congress, in all their wisdom, takes that money and spends it elsewhere. With the WRDA bill that is going through, it will require (Congress) to spend the money on shipping.”

Along with making sure funds dedicated for dredging go to the correct place, the Westshore Pontchartrain Levee Project is also included in the WRDA bill. Friloux said Board members are voicing their concerns about the levee to the Corps.

“We’ve discussed with them the alignment of the levee,” he said. “(The Corps) came out with an alignment that’s going to go right to the Mississippi River Levee in Lutcher, then it’s going to bypass all of St. James Parish practically. It could go all the way to Ascension Parish, for about the same price, and also protect I-10 as an evacuation route.”

After multiple attempts to see results from the Corps, Friloux said the Board decided to ask their delegation for additional assistance.

By Raquel Derganz Baker