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Comite Diversion Canal more than halfway done, but flood insurance relief is still a ways off
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BATON ROUGE — State lawmakers are pushing FEMA to update Louisiana's flood maps as the Comite Diversion Canal project surpasses 60 percent completion.
Officials say FEMA normally adjusts flood maps and insurance premiums once a project reaches 50 percent completion. But the Army Corps of Engineers says FEMA is waiting until the actual diversion structure hits that mark, and that structure is currently only 35 percent complete.
State and parish leaders say enough has been done to address flood issues, and they worry homeowners cannot afford to wait.
"When a homeowner does everything we ask, builds higher, does stronger zoning codes, lives in a community investing millions of dollars in flood mitigation, we need to ask if the system is recognizing those efforts enough," an official said.
The diversion structure is scheduled to be complete next spring. Map revisions could be in place by the end of 2027.
FEMA representatives were scheduled to appear before the Comite Diversion-Amite River Basin Task Force but sent an email saying they would not be present.
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