The East Baton Rouge Metro Council recognized the Flood Proof project and the work of LSU Law Center’s Successions/Title Clearing Clinic with a declaration on March 28.
“After the 2016 Historic Flood many citizens were displaced and left with minimal resources. Flood Proof has assisted hundreds of citizens with post flood title issues throughout (East Baton Rouge), Livingston, and Ascension Parish,” District 5 Councilwoman Erika Green said.
Flood Proof was created in 2016 after historic flooding devastated the metro Baton Rouge area. A recurring challenge that communities face in the wake of natural disasters is that many homeowners—particularly low income homeowners—do not possess clear title to their homes. Although they may own the homes from a legal standpoint, public records do not list them as owners, as oftentimes homes are passed down through generations without a formal succession/probate proceeding ever being opened.
Flood Proof helped connect those homeowners with free legal help through grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. By December 2017, the project helped more than 340 disaster-impacted homeoweners, resulting in $5,500,00 in flood recovery funding.
LSU Law’s Successions/Title Clearing partnered with the project, and law students in the Clinic participated in title-clearing events throughout the metro area.
Flood Proof project partners also included SLLS, Louisiana Appleseed, Southern University Law Center, the Baton Rouge Bar Association, and the American Bar Association (ABA) Center for Innovation.
A copy of the full proclamation from Councilwoman Green is below.
