Flood Protection

Build Responsibly

Retrofit homes or businesses in flood zones, do not build in the floodway.

• All development in the Special Flood Hazard Area requires a permit.
• High-hazard V zones and coastal A zones have stricter compliance requirements.
• Build to the best available knowledge rather than just to the regulatory standard.
• Build to be safe from flooding now and in the future.

Construction Rules: Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance

Purpose

Terrebonne Parish has a Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance in order to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific areas by provisions designed to: Protect human life and health; Minimize expenditure of public money for costly flood control projects; Minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the general public; Minimize prolonged business interruptions; Minimize damage to public facilities and utilities such as water and gas mains, electric, telephone and sewer lines, streets and bridges located in floodplains; Help maintain a stable tax base by providing for the sound use and development of flood-prone areas in such a manner as to minimize future flood blight areas; and Ensure that potential buyers are notified that property is in a flood area.

This applies to all areas of special flood hazard within Terrebonne Parish and the City of Houma.

Methods of reducing flood losses

In order to accomplish its purposes, the ordinance:
Restricts or prohibits uses that are dangerous to health, safety, or property in times of flood, or cause excessive increases in flood heights or velocities; Requires that uses vulnerable to floods, including facilities which serve such uses, be protected against flood damage at the time of initial construction; Controls the alteration of natural floodplains, stream channels, and natural protective barriers, which are involved in the accommodation of floodwaters; Controls filling, grading, dredging, and other development which may increase flood damage; Prevents or regulates the construction of flood barriers which will unnaturally divert floodwaters or which may increase flood hazards to other lands.

Substantial Improvement/Damage Requirements

The NFIP requires that a building must meet the same construction requirements as a new building if the cost of reconstruction, rehabilitation addition, or other improvements to a building equals or exceeds 50% of the building's market values.

Substantially damaged buildings are those in which the cost of repairs equals or exceeds 50% of the building's value prior to its being damaged. These buildings must be elevated above the base flood elevation.

For information on safe building, call the Terrebonne Parish Permit Office at (985) 873-6567.