GONZALES – Ascension Parish officials announced Wednesday that 1,553 homes have been deemed substantially damaged due to August’s historic flooding.

“We will begin sending out letters today, to notify property owners of their substantial damage assessment,” Parish President Kenny Matassa said.

Matassa’s office says more than 10,000 homes have been evaluated to determine if they meet the standard for substantially damaged. To be considered ‘substantially damaged,’ the cost of repairs for the home are 50 percent or greater than the market value of the structure.

Matassa said property owners who disagree with their evaluations can file an appeal by providing a contractor’s estimate of the damages, insurance estimate or current valuation of the structure. Those documents must be brought to the Ascension Parish Office of Planning and Development.

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To remain in compliance with the Ascension Parish’s Flood Prevention Ordinance and to maintain eligibility to acquire flood insurance, the structure must meet one of the following criteria:

Repair the existing structure and elevate to meet the requirements of the ordinance as noted below

Relocate the structure to another location.

Demolish the structure and rebuild.

Any placement of a mobile home or construction of a new home must meet the requirements of the parish ordinance for structures placed in a Flood Zone “A” or “AE”. Current requirements state that the structure must have a minimum lowest floor elevation of one foot (1) above the Base Flood Elevation of the area.

Residents are urged to call the damage assessment hotline at 225-532-3008 with any questions or to receive more information.