Police Jury (like a version of a town council) lifted the mandatory evacuation order for Calcasieu Parish due to #HurricaneLaura.

This is troubling for a number of reasons.

Firstly, this is a snapshot of the current power grid. Linemen are working day and night to get the city powered up, but it’ll still be a few weeks before that red is totally green.

The part of town that’s dominantly without electricity: north Lake Charles, the lower income area

When a mandatory evac is called, insurance companies pay a “loss of use” amount each day, for food, hotel or rental fees, damage supplies.

Evacuation was in effect for 17 days. Insurance companies will now deem a dwelling livable or unlivable to determine “loss of use” payments.

A dwelling could be unlivable for a variety of reasons. Roof is gone. Rain blew in causing mold. Flooded rooms

But it is not deemed unlivable if there is no power or potable water

No utilities is not enough for it to be “unlivable” nor is it considered “damage” to the dwelling

So mandatory evac is lifted, insurance companies will stop paying "loss of use" fees for people whose homes have sustained damage, but not enough to deem the home unlivable, but they will be returning to town with no power, water under a boil advisory, & hazardous road conditions

And where in town is the power not yet on?

And where is there no clean water?

But where are people being told they can now return?

North Lake Charles: a mostly lower income area.

And insurance companies are now going to stop paying the displacement coverage.

People will return to homes without power. To use the city water, they must boil it. The advisory says to not even wash your dishes in the water...

How do you boil water without power?

The police jury was asked this. They responded with: "lots of folks have generators."

The cheapest generator I've seen: still over $200, costing between $30 & $50 in gas daily if you want to run a window unit (practically necessary in 100+ degree La. heat), a power strip to charge a phone or a lamp, & a stovetop to boil the water that is unclean to drink or use.

People in a lower income area will now stop receiving the insurance payout for "loss of use" due to the mandatory evacuation, & return to damaged homes without power, drinkable water, & to a town with an infrastructure that cannot handle thousands of people returning at once.

The police jury's logic for lifting the evac. was "simple" - businesses need to reopen, people need to come back to work, if we keep the mandatory evac. in place then people won't return.

So, yet again in 2020, the EcOnOmY was valued over peoples' health, safety, & well being.

Want to know the strangest part?

The president of the police jury is an employee of State Farm, the largest homeowner insurer in the state of Louisiana...an insurer that is surely issuing checks to people displaced due to the storm. Checks I bet they don't want to cut anymore...

If this troubles you greatly or sets your teeth on edge, please consider donating to Catholic Charities of SWLA. They've mobilized efforts to distribute supplies to our parishes (even the damaged ones) & offer monetary assistance to those in greatest need

https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=08bd0c