Recent editorials from Louisiana newspapers:
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March 15
The Times-Picayune on FEMA’s decision to deny Louisiana aid for tornado costs:
The EF-3 tornado that cut a 10-mile path through New Orleans East Feb. 7 damaged 801 homes, with 286 of them essentially wiped out. Some of these families are going through a second disaster after rebuilding post-Katrina. That is a cruel coincidence.
In addition to devastating losses for individual families, the city has substantial costs for debris removal, damage to Sewerage & Water Board facilities, and dozens of damaged transformers, utility poles and light fixtures. Police, firefighters and search and rescue operations also were costly.
These sorts of expenses were incurred across seven parishes from six tornadoes that touched down Feb. 7. Yet FEMA rejected Gov. John Bel Edwards’ earlier request for public assistance aid for Orleans, Ascension, Livingston and St. James parishes and individual aid for Ascension and St. James Parishes.
New Orleanians are receiving individual assistance, but the costs to city agencies are not being covered at this point. New Orleans totaled almost $3.3 million in eligible expenses, and Livingston Parish had $687,642. State agencies and Ascension and St. James parishes had more than $615,000 costs that should be eligible for public assistance.
The damage in Orleans and Livingston parishes each met FEMA’s threshold for providing public assistance, but Louisiana’s overall expense total is roughly $2 million short of what is needed to qualify.
Now Gov. Edwards is asking FEMA to reconsider. He sent a letter Monday to George Robinson, the agency’s regional administrator in Denton, Texas, appealing the earlier decision.
“The response to the tornadoes has overwhelmed the capabilities of state and local resources. This incident was of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and local governments,” Gov. Edwards said in his letter.
He updated expenses in Orleans and Livingston parishes and included Jefferson Parish in the request for public assistance.
Although he acknowledged that FEMA relies heavily on per-capita cost when considering requests for disaster assistance, he argues that it is “merely a ’proxy’ indicator of whether a state could handle disaster recovery on its own.”
Given Louisiana’s overall needs, he is asking FEMA to take a more comprehensive approach to judging the state’s case. That is a fair request.
Louisiana is dealing not only with tornado damage, but is still recovering from devastating floods in 2016. In March, 36 parishes were declared disaster areas after heavy rains. Then in August, 13 people lost their lives and more than 100,000 homes were destroyed when 20 to 30 inches of rain swamped south-central Louisiana over two days. Twenty-two parishes were declared a disaster, including some that had been hit in March.
Roughly 85 percent of Louisianans - in 56 of 64 parishes - are recovering from some level of disaster at this point, according to a report to a state Senate committee Feb. 24.
Given all of that, FEMA ought to reconsider. Gov. Edwards is right - the costs related only to the February tornadoes does not provide a full picture of what the state and individual parishes are dealing with.
Louisiana has disaster fatigue, and its resources have been stretched thin after two floods and six tornadoes. “The combination of recent disasters has been crippling to the people and resources of our State,” Gov. Edwards said. Residents in Ascension and St. James parishes who are recovering from damage need FEMA’s help. So do the governments dealing with this damage.
FEMA shouldn’t say “no” just because the damage Feb. 7 was $2 million less than its chart shows it should be to qualify for aid.
Louisiana is dealing with a lot more damage than that.
Online:
https://www.nola.com/
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March 15
The Courier of Houma on South Louisiana’s economy:
South Louisiana is in an economic downturn.
That isn’t a surprise to anyone.
In fact, a troubling number of local residents have lost their jobs - at least temporarily - since the end of 2014 when oil prices dropped.
The corresponding slowdown in the oil and gas industry has created a difficult set of circumstances for local workers and companies, all of which would much rather be working hard to supply the needs of our primary economic driver.
Instead, we have seen the number of jobs decrease as our jobless rate has steadily increased.
That unfortunate trend continued in January. According to the Louisiana Workforce Commission numbers released earlier this week, the unemployment rate for Houma-Thibodaux reached 6.8 percent in January.
That represented a rise from 6.1 percent in December, and it was higher than the 6.7 percent rate our region saw in January 2016.
Even more stark were these numbers: Our area lost 1,800 jobs in January, a figure that brought our total from a year ago up to 6,600. Since September 2014, our area has lost 11,000 jobs. That is a huge number to absorb, and it has left a mark on our struggling workforce.
All of these things are true, and they were understood even before the state put the latest numbers to the story.
Still, it is difficult to look at them without seeing that the inevitable path is upward.
After all, the oil industry has seen down times before. And it has always returned to the vitality that has marked most of its history in south Louisiana.
That is not to make light of the people who are suffering through this downturn. But it is important to recognize that the ups and downs of this industry make its return to health a matter of when, not if.
Oil and gas have provided lucrative careers to generations of south Louisiana residents. And, though there have been down times, the norm is much more positive.
Our economy - as the numbers continue to show - is suffering through a downturn. But we will come back, just as we always have. And our economy will be stronger for our temporary struggles.
The numbers are important because they help to give us snapshots of where we are. They will be most telling in the long run, though, when they show us how far we have come when our economy kicks back into full strength.
It’s just a matter of time.
Online:
https://www.houmatoday.com/
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March 15
The Advocate on state consumer laws:
In Louisiana, the disasters have piled up. Huge amounts of personal savings, insurance payments and federal aid money are being spent to hire contractors to put right the homes and businesses devastated by flooding.
Who is watching out for consumers in this extraordinary environment?
The answer is, not enough in the way of officialdom. But even those who want to help can be shackled by laws and institutions reluctant to see state government suing or otherwise disciplining businesses in rancorous disputes, like those involving crooked or just negligent contractors.
Attorney General Jeff Landry is among those criticized, since his office has direct authority over consumer protection. But there is a good case that Landry’s office hasn’t the tools, or the legal authority, to do that much for consumers.
As is the case so often, the issue is touched by politics that long predate Landry, Gov. John Bel Edwards or members of the state Licensing Board for Contractors.
Landry told the editorial board of The Advocate that his office has worked with federal authorities in charge of dealing with fraudulent flood work, as well as the state commission overseeing contractors, and he noted that his office can by law offer mediation of consumer complaints.
We wonder if this disaster involving thousands of homeowners and business owners should not prompt a reassessment of the law and practice of state consumer protection.
Going back decades, the business-oriented Legislature has been reluctant to allow a potentially lawsuit-happy attorney general the chance to make political hay out of consumer complaints. There are legitimate concerns about how wide the attorney general’s field of action should be, but today’s experience with the floods certainly ought to prompt a new look at this issue.
The contractor board says it focuses on licensing questions, such as whether a contractor has insurance, has passed a licensing exam, has basic financial backing and uses licensed subcontractors. The board is not designed to be the arbitrator of quality and workmanship problems or of the validity of any contracts, said Brad Hassert, the compliance director.
Nor, for that matter, can the AG’s office become a free legal office for every complaint.
We don’t want to see the politicization of consumer complaints. That might be a cure worse than the disease. But we also don’t want people to feel that they are being left in the lurch by the government when things have gone so badly for thousands of people.
The vast majority of contractors are honest and capable, despite the recent arrest of one in Ascension Parish on 119 counts of fraud and related charges. And every consumer complaint isn’t justified. But a new look at how we deal with such complaints is overdue, before the next hurricane, flood or other event hits Louisiana.
Online:
https://www.theadvocate.com/
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