LSU Research Enables Better Flood Protection for Homes

Setting a New, National Standard

For decades, Louisiana has been building homes to an elevation standard where 4 out of 10 are expected to flood at least once in 50 years. Shocked? Then you’re not alone, says LSU Professor Carol Friedland. It all comes down to a mathematical formula and a desire to save money on construction regardless of how much it then costs to live there.

Friedland and her team at LSU AgCenter’s LaHouse have spent 10 years on research and education to solve this problem and improve construction standards, including for flood and wind resilience and energy efficiency, to protect homeowners. That work has now led to a new, national standard for construction that will radically change how communities in Louisiana and across the United States can prevent homes and buildings from flooding.

The new American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) standard for flood-resistant design and construction, ASCE/SEI 24-24, was directly supported by LSU research. This should help not only reduce flood risk but also make home and flood insurance more available and affordable.

“This may be the most significant upgrade in the nation’s flood loss reduction standards since the creation of the National Flood Insurance Program minimums in 1973, and it could not come at a better time as annual flood losses in the country now average more than $45 billion per year,” said Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers.

“Without the research by the LSU AgCenter, the advancements made to the elevation requirements would not have been possible. Dr. Carol Friedland’s research shows there are better ways to protect communities from flooding.”

Manny Perotin, co-chair of the Association of State Floodplain Managers’ Nonstructural Floodproofing Committee