Vernon Parish Hurricane Needs Assessment

Economic and Workforce Development

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture, Office of Forestry, estimates that 4.0% of the timber in Vernon Parish was damaged due to Hurricane Rita.

115 million board feet of pine timber was damaged, which represents 2 years worth of harvests damaged.
29 million board feet of hardwood timber was damaged, which represents 10 years worth of harvests damaged.

The unemployment rate for Vernon Parish increased from 5.6% in November 2004 to 8.7% in November 2005. The number of people unemployed increased by 779 people.

The assessed value on four selected properties in Vernon Parish prior to the hurricane was $16,740. The changed assessed value after the hurricane was $13,010, representing a loss of 22% of the assessed value.

Unemployment claims have increased from 243 (pre-Katrina) to 912 (pre-Rita). As of December 2005 there were 610 unemployment claims. (JHSC)

Environmental Management

There was a significant amount of debris collected and disposed of following the hurricane. Approximately 28,000 cubic yards of debris was collected and burned or buried in the Vernon Parish Landfill.

The water quality in Anacoco and Vernon Lakes was significantly impacted by the hurricane due to increased effluent runoff from private septic systems. A considerable amount of illegal dumping into the lakes also raised additional water quality concerns.

The amount of timber damaged by the hurricane resulted in extensive accumulations of debris in the forests. Much of this is being harvested as quickly as possible; however, atypical amounts will remain increasing fire hazards in drought conditions.

The excessive loss of hardwood timber has negatively impacted wetland zones where they have been regulated and preserved.

Human Services

There was a lack of adequate evacuation facilities needed to provide proper shelter and emergency services during the hurricane. Shelter space and services were not available for all those who entered the parish seeking assistance

Public Health and Healthcare

It was necessary to evacuate many residents, especially those in mobile homes, special needs and some nursing homes, as well as some of those evacuating to the Parish, since there was no potable water or proper sewage available.

Education

Enrollment has increased by 1% in the school district. Specifically there has been an increase of 99 students in December 2005 versus December 2004 enrollments.(JHSC)

Public Safety

The emergency communications system was damaged when the radio tower was destroyed. There was an apparent breakdown of understanding of what the defined roles/responsibilities were in order for the parish to effectively handle the amount of evacuees.
Key evacuation centers throughout the Parish did not have emergency generators to help keep the thousands of evacuees in somewhat comfortable conditions.

Transportation and Infrastructure

All areas of Vernon Parish lost electrical power for time periods ranging from several days to over two weeks.
- 41% of Vernon Parish was without power for approximately 4-5 days, with the other 59% still without power.
- 20% of Vernon Parish was still without power approximately 1 week after Hurricane Rita struck.
- The remainder of Vernon Parish had their power restored approximately 2 weeks after the storm.
The loss of electrical power caused major outages and disruptions to the water supply and sewage systems.
Service stations along key evacuation routes were left without the ability to provide fuel to those attempting to seek safer conditions.
Many vehicles were running out of fuel along the side of the road due to the traffic congestion.
There were reports of babies being born in the back of cars since there was no way to get to a hospital or for emergency equipment to navigate along the evacuation routes.
The emergency communication system within the City of Leesville and the Parish were knocked out due to the power outages, as well as the loss (collapse) of the radio tower.
Roads and highways designated as Hurricane Evacuation Routes were over extended causing massive traffic back ups throughout the Parish.
Many public buildings and facilities within the Parish were damaged to some degree as a result of the storm.
Leesville Elementary School ’s roof was blown off causing approximately $50,000 in damage.
The radio communications tower for the Parish was knocked down, as well as the radio towers for the local radio stations.

Housing and Community Development

As a result of Hurricane’s Katrina and Rita there was an increase of 569 (3.1%) households within Vernon Parish. (JHSC)

Many homes and businesses within the Parish were damaged to some degree as a result of the storm.

50% of the homes and businesses had minor damage, such as damaged roofs.
15% received major damage, such as trees falling into a home or business.
5% of the damage was a total loss.

There was damage to approximately 295 housing units in Vernon Parish, with major damage to at least 118 homes. (JHCS), 12/4/05 FEMA assessment.

3,708 households (17%), including 569 displaced households within Vernon Parish are considered eligible for FEMA assistance. (JHSC)

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has received 86 applications by residents of Vernon Parish who were referred by FEMA.

Despite U.S. Census data, there is a desperate need for decent, safe, sanitary affordable housing within the Parish, especially in the wake of the hurricane due to the increase in rent.

Proper zoning, land use planning and building inspections are needed within the Parish.

Sources
Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office (Mr. Ken Noble), Tax Assessor, Police Jury, Lake Commission

Leesville Daily Leader, 9/27/05

Vernon Parish--Damage Impact and Needs Assessment