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St. Charles Parish council adopts 'Shield Plan' and moves to bolster floodplain management
Summary
Council unanimously adopted the Shield Plan, a parish coastal-priorities document intended to improve access to state and federal funding for coastal restoration; members also approved a floodplain-management resolution aimed at improving the parish's FEMA CRS rating and reducing residents' flood-insurance premiums.
HANVILLE, La. — The St. Charles Parish Council unanimously adopted a coastal 'Shield Plan' March 2 and followed with a resolution recognizing a consolidated floodplain-management planning effort designed to improve the parish's standing in FEMA's Community Rating System (CRS).
Parish President Juel described the Shield Plan as a coordinated list of coastal-restoration projects intended to help the parish compete for state and federal construction funds. “We are demanding that we receive attention too,” Juel said, asking the council to adopt the plan to present a united front when seeking allocations.
Council materials and staff presentations identified active projects that together appeared in the annual plan. Juel outlined an expanded capital portfolio that includes roughly $137 million of projects in the annual plan spread across FY27–29. Specific projects mentioned included a Quipper (spelling in transcript) project near $60 million and a separate 'rock' project near $24 million. The Bayou (Des Allemands) floodgate was described as engineered at roughly $91.5 million with an additional tieback component of about $50 million, producing an estimated combined cost on the order of $140–150 million; Juel and staff cautioned that permitting and final authorizations remain outstanding.
Council members thanked planning and coastal staff for preparing the Shield Plan and said the document will be used to prioritize projects for submission to the state and to partners. The council also unanimously approved a resolution recognizing the floodplain-management planning effort; staff said successful implementation could lower residents' flood-insurance premiums by improving the parish's CRS grade.
Both items passed with no public opposition during the meeting. Council members said the plans are intended to strengthen the parish’s ability to secure competitive funding and reduce long-term flood risk for residents.
The Shield Plan was recorded as resolution 2026-000067 and the floodplain-management recognition as 2026-000068.
