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LAPLACE, La. — On Thursday morning, Officials in St. John the Baptist Parish held a press conference to discuss cleanup and recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

Parish President Jaclyn Hotard announced that she is standing behind President Biden and Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon in issuing Directive 218, which requires insurers to pay claims for loss-of-use to policyholders who evacuated, or were prohibited from using their premises because of the storm.

“My decision, along with our counterparts in the Emergency Operations Center, to call a parish-wide voluntary evacuation and simultaneously open a parish shelter, was a life-or-death decision to save lives — and it worked.”

Based on preliminary assessments conducted by the Fire Marshal, 90% of homes in St. John the Baptist Parish have damage. The preliminary breakdown is below:

  • 20% of homes have minor damage
  • 60% of homes have major damage
  • 10% of homes are destroyed

“I suspect that as the assessments continue to be completed, those numbers are going to hold true,” said President Hotard.