Today brings bad memories for a lot of people in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Hurricane Isaac in 2012, and Hurricane Ida last year. St John Parish was among the hardest hit by Ida. Parish President Jacklyn Hotard was able to get back into her home just 45 days ago. She says the recovery has been slowed by COVID-related supply chain issues and insurance red tape.
“Many people still fighting with their insurance companies or if their insurance company has gone into a receivership they’re now dealing with the State of Louisiana so it’s been the perfect storm just to make this recovery extremely difficult,” Hotard says.
She says a lot of people in St John are still in either temporary housing or living with relatives but it’s hard to track how many. Her long-term concerns are about the affordability and availability of homeowners insurance. She is calling for federal action.
“That worries me. If it’s not available it doesn’t matter what it costs, right, so we need to look at that from both ends,” she emphasizes.
More than half a dozen insurance companies have left Louisiana since Ida. Hotard says even with the challenges, St. John Parish looks much better this year than it did a year ago.
“We are moving in the right direction and the recovery is visible. People can see that there’s some visible recovery however we have a long way to go, as does the entire region, ” Hotard says.
Comments