Code Council assists more states as Louisiana gets HUD approval for $1.2 billion flood mitigation plan

Other states are watching as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approves Louisiana’s action plan for spending $1.2 billion in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation funds, allowing the state to move forward with a plan aiming to reduce flood risk for Baton Rouge and other cities. The plan outlines the state’s approach to funding mitigation projects, data collection, watershed modeling and policy measures that align with the long-term resilience objective of the Louisiana Watershed Initiative. Consistent with support the Code Council provided in comments to the then Draft Action Plan, the approved plan provides (1) $24 million for watershed planning that can be used to support the adoption and implementation of modernized codes and (2) more than $570 million for local and regional watershed programs, which can support code enforcement activities, training, and certification in building methods. The state expects the funding to become available in spring 2020 and is prepared to begin using these funds as soon as they are available to make significant investments in low-risk, high-impact projects to reduce flood risk throughout the state. Currently, California, Georgia and Missouri have open comment periods and ICC members are encouraged to participate in public comments and hearings on state CDBG-MIT plans. This is significant funding that can be used for code adoption and updating and for staffing and training if states choose to prioritize those activities for funding. The Code Council will work closely with state chapters and partners to leverage these resources for needed adoption, enforcement, certification, and training activities in the state. Read more.