LMR-October_PROOF6

Municipalities
City of Zachary Continues to Recover
BY DAVID AMRHEIN, MAYOR, CITY OF ZACHARY
January 10th, 2017 was the sixth
anniversary of the City’s current
administration. It also served to
remind us that one hundred fifty-two
days prior, August rains triggered a
series of weather events that would
forever change the lives of many
Zachary families, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens.
The resultant “1000” year rain and flood event, better
known in government as FEMA – DR 4277 would have
far ranging effects, without regard for its victims or
the debilitating socio-economic impacts that it would
generate during its short life.
The long term effects are still painfully obvious and all one
needs to do is to drive through the parts of Zachary most
heavily impacted by the storms passage in order to bear
witness to the loss and devastation suffered by so many.
There are those who would say that Zachary fared better
than many other communities; a statement arguably
challenged by the 450 Zachary homeowners and 50
businesses severely impacted by this singular event.
“Resilience”, a now favored recovery buzz word and one
given new life following the flooding is seemingly in use
everywhere. By definition, its current relevance pertains
to the local rebuilding effort, one intent on lessening the
impact of some like or future occurrence.
Personally for me, “resilience” best describes the Zachary
residents most impacted by the event, as well as those
spared from it. All have been touched by the knowing of
someone directly impacted by the disaster, with all readily
conceding that much still remains to be done.
Unfortunately, patience with the pace of recovery (or
the lack thereof) has long since been replaced by the
same nagging frustration shared by so many. Thankfully,
salvation and its sense of comfort can still be found in
Zachary’s very giving and ever present community spirit,
one which remains as an abiding reminder that a better
and more peaceful time will return. Daily challenges
however do remain, and others may likely evolve as
recovery efforts continue. Zachary’s landscape, now
dotted with temporary manufactured housing units and
the occasional lingering debris pile, serve as constant
reminders of how far we still need to go until once again
made whole. Together we will get there, and in the process
become a stronger and better community for having done
so.
The Mayor’s Annual Message while often viewed as the
opportunity to tout the City’s year of accomplishments,
simply pales in comparison to the many individual and
personal losses experienced locally.
I would however, use this opportunity to thank Zachary’s
very dedicated and committed City Council members
who spent countless hours of their own in support of their
constituents impacted by the flooding event.
I would be extremely remiss if I did not acknowledge too,
the collective efforts of Zachary’s City workers who aided
in the local government’s recovery effort. Several of them
continued the long hours and days of work in spite of
having been victims of flooding themselves, and to them I
remain especially grateful.
If there is a valuable lesson to be learned from the
experiences of the past year, it is that we’ve proven we are
stronger together and should continue building on that
base going forward.
As a community we should remain mindful and clearly
focused when “reflecting on our present blessings of
which we all have many, and not on past misfortunes of
which we all have some.”
Our community’s commitment to progress through
recovery will surely guide us, and may God continue to
bless our Zachary community and its entire people.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17: HOUSING
breathed a breath of fresh air into the Corporation, and
they are open for business!!
In terms of single family homes, the LHC offers several
loan programs that provide down payment grant
assistance (3 or 4%) to potential homebuyers. Rates are
published daily on their website. The provision of DPA to
borrowers is often the lift that gets them into a home, and
this is a niche product that LHC offers.
In terms of multi-family rental units, the LHC provides
Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) to developers to
assist in their construction of affordable housing units. The
recently concluded 2017 allocation plan cycle has been
one of the most competitive in LHC’s history, and points
out the fact that developers understand that LHC is open
for business. In some areas of the state, there is an acute
shortage of affordable units for our state’s workforce -and,
the LHC MF LIHTC programs are vital to helping fix this
problem.
In addition, the LHC is THE state entity dealing with
housing, and oversees a number of other state programs
including weatherization assistance for citizens.
So, you should contact the LHC if you have any questions
or want to learn more about how they can help your
constituents. Check out their website at www.lhc.la.gov OR
call them at 225/763-8700. You, too, will be impressed!!
LMR | October 2017 Page 17