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Parish president: Tropical Storm Arthur flooded 106 homes; FEMA denied individual assistance
Summary
Parish President Jewell reported that Tropical Storm Arthur produced very intense rainfall in parts of Saint Charles Parish, resulting in 106 verified flooded homes; FEMA declined Individual Assistance, but the parish is pursuing public assistance reimbursement and planning targeted drainage projects.
Parish President Jewell told the council that Tropical Storm Arthur produced brief but intense rainfall that overwhelmed local drainage and led to verified flood impacts in the parish.
"National Weather Service estimated that St. Charles Parish would receive about 2 to 3 inches of rain with our worst case scenario of 6 to 8 inches starting Wednesday through Saturday; instead we received that worst case scenario within about 3 hours of the storm," Jewell said. He told the council that some locations reported up to 8–9 inches in a short period and that parish pump stations and culverts were outpaced by runoff.
Jewell said parish damage assessment identified 106 flooded homes out of roughly 18,600 structures in the parish; those figures and the damage reporting were submitted to GOSEP and FEMA. "Based on FEMA's review of St. Charles Parish, St. Charles Parish did not qualify for individual assistance," he said, explaining that FEMA bases IA eligibility on major/destroyed classifications and other criteria. He added that because FEMA later extended the incident period for public assistance after flooding in other parishes, the parish would submit public assistance claims to recover eligible expenditures for preparing, responding and cleanup.
Jewell and staff described operational details: pump‑station telemetry showed most pumps operated through the event but Ellington pump station experienced a 25‑minute outage after a presumed lightning strike; the parish also used portable pumps and is planning infrastructure upgrades and retention/culvert improvements where appropriate. Jewell emphasized the parish's multi‑year master plan and that drainage projects are under design or construction, while acknowledging that severe, short‑duration storms can exceed system design standards.
Council members pressured staff on specific neighborhood impacts and project timelines; administration outlined ongoing projects (Munson pump station, Ormond CN jack and bore, Primrose Canal work) and said some projects have estimated completion dates in late 2026 or January 2027 depending on permitting and construction schedules.
