PLAQUEMINE - The Iberville Parish Council unanimously approved new regulations regarding residential properties related to flooding. A new ordinance will now require any new homes to be built one foot above base flood elevation.

"We want to make sure that the citizens that build here are building high enough," Councilman Matthew Jewell said.

The ordinance doesn't only apply to homes in a flood zone. Houses built outside of a flood zone will need to build one foot above the nearest base flood elevation level within half a mile. Jewell says the requirement, first introduced in July comes after years of flooding across Iberville Parish.

"The rain comes faster and a lot deeper," Jewell said.

Jewell and other council members don't want to discourage growth in the parish but want to make sure residents are protected.

"If a resident, a citizen of Iberville Parish is going to invest $100, $80, $250, $300,000 in a home, we feel you should want to build it up," Jewel said. "The worst thing a homeowner could do is to get water in a brand new home. It's a sickening feeling."

The ordinance also applies to any "substantial improvement" to existing homes.