During Thursday’s Calcasieu Parish Police Jury meeting, it didn’t take long for the panel to give final approval of the framework designed to help the region bounce back over the long haul from Hurricanes Laura and Delta.

The 137-page Long-Term Recovery Plan outlines recovery in several key areas: housing, infrastructure, economic, health and community planning. The effort dates back to January and was created using feedback from community leaders and experts in various fields. A draft of the plan was released in late July, followed by a public comment period.

The first anniversary of Hurricane Laura’s Aug. 27, 2020, landfall is one week away, and Congress has yet to approve disaster supplemental funding for Southwest Louisiana. Alberto Galan, assistant to the parish administrator, said those dollars are critical for the recovery plan to be carried out.

Public comments echoed the priorities already listed by officials, Galan said. Housing topped the list, followed by drainage improvement and watershed management throughout the parish and in specific neighborhoods.

“We felt very comfortable that this plan is what the community would like to see,” Galan said.

Galan said the parish continues to navigate a lack of funding, labor and materials, along with increased cost of materials.

“What’s going on around the country, we’re undergoing it 100 times,” he said.

Including roadside ditches, the parish’s drainage laterals span 1,600 miles, Galan said.

“That is the magnitude of what we’re looking at,” he said. “That gap needs to be filled with funding, and we’re going to need to be creative here in the meantime.”

The goal with the plan, Galan said, is for future natural disasters to be less expensive. He mentioned how money spent to harden the windows at the 901 Lakeshore Drive building helped protect them during Hurricane Laura, unlike the many windows blown out at the old Capital One Tower.

“Early recovery planning and investment is worth it, long-term, to ensure a more resilient and sustainable future,” he said.

Mayors from every municipality in Calcasieu sent letters supporting the recovery plan, Galan said.

The report is online at calcasieuparish.gov/recovery.