St. Tammany Parish--Disaster Impact and Needs Assessment

The population base for estimates is a pre-Katrina projection for October 2005 of 220,480. The estimate for October 2005 with Katrina impact is 257,767, an immediate increase of 37,287 (16.9%). (Katrina struck on August 29, 2005.)

• The estimate for January 2006 with Katrina impact is 276,599, an additional increase in three months of 18,832 or 7.3% over the comparable October 2005 estimate.
• The pre-Katrina estimate for January 2006 was 221,808,  a population increase of 54,791 (24.7%).
• The annualized growth rate for St. Tammany during this period without Katrina impact was projected to be 4.92%, a high rate (the population of the U.S. only grows at about 1% per year) but typical of fast-growing areas in metropolitan areas such as St. Tammany. Katrina impact as of January 2006 therefore equates to five (5) years of normal population growth.  (Source: Claritas Inc. )

Economic and Workforce Development

• Flooding from storm surge extended northward from Lake Pontchartrain throughout the commercial areas of Slidell along U.S. Highway 11, approaching I-12 in some places, and along I-10. Businesses also were damaged by flooding farther west along the shoreline, in "Old Mandeville." (Source: Observations of land use by LTCR team; storm surge extent from FEMA maps)
• Commercial Property value of businesses destroyed was estimated at $118,366,000. In January 2006, St. Tammany Parish recorded the number of businesses as 11,281, with 1,666 (14.8% or more than 1 of every 7) of those businesses being destroyed as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
• The value of commercial property (15% of total value) was $558,064,448 with property taxes assessed in 2004 totaling $642,445,242.  (Source: Stan Fulcher, Senior Research Staff, Louisiana Department of Economic Development, January 2006)

Flood Protection and Coastal Restoration

• Marshes along the North Shore were damaged by Katrina. These include Fritchie Marsh, Goose Point, and Northshore Beach Marsh.
• Source: Evaluations from the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation; USGS mapping
• Storm surge severely damaged the City Barn and Schneider Canal storm water pump stations and associated levees in Slidell. Throughout the parish, debris has clogged the drainage canals, box culverts, and detention basins. It is necessary to restore and expand the existing drainage system through the parish. (Source: Community officials interviewed) 

Education

• St. Tammany parish had 52 public schools and 11 private schools in the K-12 levels. The number of public schools destroyed was 3 and the number damaged was 49. The number of private schools destroyed was 8 and the number of private schools damaged was 3.
• The number of universities/colleges in St. Tammany Parish was 2 and both were either destroyed or damaged. Estimated cost to repair/restore universities/colleges would be $4,119,300.00.  (Source: Stan Fulcher, Senior Research Staff, Louisiana Department of Economic Development, January 2006)

Public Health and Healthcare

• The hospital is Slidell was damaged and its generators and AC chillers flooded. About 25 percent of its staff (200 employees) is gone.
• Uninsured patients tripled. (Source: Interview with hospital administrator)

Public Safety

• During and after Katrina, police departments could not communicate with each other or with Sheriff's deputies.
• Police departments could not communicate with the State Police, so for managing contraflow for evacuation on the Interstates, officers had to be assigned to checkpoints with the State Police so they could communicate information back to the local police departments.
• Fire departments communications (there are 14 independent fire districts) were lost in the northern part of the parish because of damage to a tower from Katrina. Sheriff's deputies had to be assigned to locations where communications were lost, to report road closures and other damage.

Transportation and Infrastructure

• St. Tammany is connected to the New Orleans area across Lake Pontchartrain by the Causeway, U.S. 11, and I-10. (U.S. 90 also crosses the entrance from the Gulf to Pontchartrain, but it crosses a marsh area at the southeastern tip of St. Tammany and provides little service to its residents.) The twin spans of I-10 were destroyed but were rebuilt to the former capacity. The U.S. 11 bridge parallels I-10 and was not closed, but the route of U.S. 11 on the north shore goes through Slidell's commercial areas to I-12, so its traffic capacity is limited for future evacuations. (Source: News accounts, observations by LTCR team)
• There are much higher traffic counts on I-12 (east-west through the parish) and other main roads near I-12, with significant congestion much of the day. Average Daily Traffic (ADT) on I-12 is up 48%. (Source: Traffic counts provided by St. Tammany Parish)
• Storm surge destroyed three wastewater treatment plants in the Slidell area. In addition, the Katrina-driven population growth in the parish has placed demands on the wastewater collection and treatment systems. The need exists for a 15 mgd (million gallons per day) expansion in treatment capabilities parish-wide. (Source: Interviews with local officials)
• Storm damage in many instances reduced water pressure in community distribution systems to dangerous levels for firefighting. The need exists, depending on the community, for new water towers, trunk lines, valves, and meters. (Source: Community officials interviewed)
• Storm-related population explosions in the Abita Springs and Madisonville areas have necessitated expansion of their municipally run natural gas distribution systems.

Housing and Community Development

• Storm surge and high winds together destroyed houses at the east end of the Lake Pontchartrain shoreline in the City of Slidell and damaged houses farther inland, where the flooding was extensive. Storm surge inundated all of Slidell up to U.S. 190 BUS along the I-10 corridor and even farther to the north both to the east and to the west of I-10. (Source: Observations by LTCR team; storm surge extent from FEMA maps)
• The City of Slidell states that, of approximately 10,300 housing units prior to Katrina, 4,000 units were seriously damaged by wind and/or flood. Of the 4,000, 400 to 700 will be total losses. Most multi-family units damaged are said to be rebuilding, primarily due to economic incentives from higher rents and housing demand. (Source: Slidell City officials)
• Slidell Public Housing Authority lost 76 family units that were flooded, as well as the operating office for the agency. These units will have to be substantially renovated before they can be placed back in service. There is a substantial unfilled need for low-income housing in Slidell and throughout St. Tammany Parish. The PHA will provide data to substantiate the need. (Source: Slidell Public Housing Authority)
• Flooding from lower storm surge together with high winds affected the "Old Mandeville" area farther west along the shoreline as well, destroying some older frame houses along the lakeshore and damaging many others. Flooding extended several blocks into "Old Mandeville." (Source: Observations by LTCR team; storm surge extent from FEMA Maps)
• Of the 85,501 housing units pre-hurricane, 78,151 were occupied (leaving 6,650 or 8.6% vacant units). Post-hurricane assessment indicated that 72,779 units were habitable, a loss of 12,772 habitable units, or more than 1 of every 7) and 72,460 were occupied. This would leave 319 vacant habitable units, a 0.44% vacancy rate. (Source: Data and estimates from Individual Assistance applications and estimates provided by FEMA ESF-14, Jan. 6, 2006)
• Post-Katrina, an estimated 12,722 households had left the parish, and 7,031 households had moved in, a net loss of 5,691 households. [Since the 12,722 units vacated presumably were damaged, some of the 7,031 households must have moved into previously-vacant habitable units. But since there were not that many vacant units even before Katrina, other households must have moved into temporary housing such as travel trailers or "doubled up." -- Comment by LTCR team] (Source: Data and estimates from Individual Assistance applications and estimates provided by FEMA ESF-14, Jan. 6, 2006 )(See the "Note on Population & Housing" above.)
• St. Tammany parish had 78,952 homes without electricity after the hurricanes. The number of homes without telecom after the hurricane was 10,453. The estimated cost to repair/restore water/waste/collection plants was $12,000,000. (Source: Stan Fulcher, Senior Research Staff, Louisiana Department of Economic Development, January 2006)
• Transportation impacts suggest that population has increased significantly over pre-hurricane levels. Much of this appears to be returning residents and large numbers of construction contractors, both living in private or company travel trailers or FEMA trailers (returning residents parked on their own lots). Hotels in the parish are full. (Source: Observations by LTCR team)
• It's possible that much of the traffic is persons living elsewhere commuting into or through St. Tammany, but there are no origin & destination surveys to confirm this. Given the destruction of housing on the Mississippi Gulf Coast (immediately adjacent to St. Tammany to the east, with quick access by I-10), it's also possible that displaced Mississippi residents are lodging in St. Tammany.
• Note on Population & Housing: The juxtaposition of housing unit losses with population increases may be explained by (1) filling of any habitable units that were vacant before Katrina, (2) filling of hotels in the parish with long-term residents, (3) the return of displaced residents to FEMA trailers or private travel trailers placed on the lots with the still-uninhabitable houses [source: wide-spread observations of the LTCR team], and (4) "doubling up" of households, as displaced friends and relatives from St. Tammany and other parishes lodge temporarily with residents who were not displaced. The latter circumstance is asserted anecdotally by parish residents, including the Parish President, who was in such circumstances; and it suggests why extrapolation of population from an estimate of households at the pre-Katrina "persons per household" may undercount population.  (Source: Community officials)
• The number of State buildings in St. Tammany parish was 9. The number of State buildings destroyed or damaged was 9. The estimated cost to repair state buildings was $9,692,300. (Source: Stan Fulcher, Senior Research Staff, Louisiana Department of Economic Development, January 2006)