Support picking up among local community organizations in advance of Nov. 21 election

 MARRERO, La. – (Oct. 19, 2015) – The Nov. 21 hurricane protection millage proposal for the West Bank picked up two major endorsements as the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® and the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region threw their support behind the measures. The propositions would add 5.5 mills to West Jefferson and renew 6.5 mills to Algiers residents’ annual tax payments for flood protection.

“Loss of flood protection would be detrimental to the West Bank,” said New Orleans Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® President Mary Vastola. “We urge residents to approve the requested millage renewal in Algiers and increase in West Jefferson to ensure that we meet the needs for protection.”

“The millage proposals for flood protection, which are crucial to maintain flood insurance, are a small price to pay,” said Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region Chairman Paul H. Flower. “For about $5 per month, the people of the West Bank can continue to protect their families, homes and businesses.”

If the millage proposals on the Nov. 21 ballot are successful, the funds will go toward the Operation, Maintenance, Repair, Replacement and Rehabilitation (OMRR&R) of an improved and vastly expanded flood protection system, which includes 80 miles of levees, floodwalls and other flood protection structures.

“This system needs to be maintained in order to provide the 100-year level of flood protection and to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program,” said SLFPA-W President Susan H. Maclay. “With insufficient funds, the level of protection would decline and make the West Bank and Vicinity vulnerable to inundation from storm surge.”

President Maclay said the support from these local community organizations, in addition to the support from Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans and the Algiers Point Association is a tremendous boost to the prospects for the proposed measures and the future of flood protection on the West Bank.

For updates and additional information, please visit the SLFPA-W website at www.neworleanshosting.com/levee, “like” SLFPA-W on Facebook and follow SLFPA-W on Twitter.

About the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – West (SLFPA-W)

The mission of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – West is to protect the citizens and businesses of the West Bank of the greater New Orleans area in Jefferson and Orleans Parishes from hurricanes and riverine flooding by inspecting, operating and maintaining the integrity of our levees, floodwalls and floodgates. It is composed of two levee districts: the West Jefferson Levee District in Jefferson Parish and the Algiers Levee District in Orleans Parish. The Authority has jurisdiction over 80 miles of levees in the most populated areas of the West Bank of Jefferson Parish and in all of Orleans Parish on the West Bank, including 47 miles of levees that are part of the Hurricane and Storm Damage

Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) and 33 miles of Mississippi River levees. Since 2006, all of the Authority’s levees and floodwalls have been improved for the protection of residents in south Louisiana.