Are You Prepared for Barry? Steps to Take Before and After the Storm

Amy P. Fennell • July 11, 2019

Written by: Bruce A. Bender, CFM
 Bruce has been providing outreach and risk communication services to Federal, state and local governments such as FEMA's National Flood Insurance Programs marketing campaign (FloodSmart) and their nationwide mapping effort, known as Risk MAP. He also works with coastal and inland counties and communities in helping them develop and implement successful public outreach and stakeholder engagement strategies.

Are You Prepared?

With Barry baring down on Louisiana, it is important you are prepared and stay safe should flooding and other damage occur. Here are some steps to take now, if you haven’t already taken them, plus some post-storm pointers.

Before the Storm

·        Create an Emergency Kit with supplies to last at least 72 hours.

·        Bring in items that can float or be blown away (e.g., outdoor furniture, toys).

·        Turn off propane tanks and unplug small appliances.

·        Create a communication plan with other family members and friends should you lose power.

·        Safeguard important documents ; keep them in a waterproof container or a digital record in the cloud.  This includes a digital record of household items and valuable belongings (e.g., take a video or photos with your phone of each room and the exterior of the building).  If you have swatches of carpet, wallpaper, upholstery, window treatments, etc., save those in a waterproof container.

·        Don’t forget your pets; have a plan for them too!

·        If flooding is forecasted or imminent for your specific area, take flood loss avoidance measures , of which some may be covered by your flood insurance policy.

·        Contact your insurance agent to learn how best to get hold of them after the storm.

After the Storm

·        Don’t walk or drive in floodwaters.  There may be downed power lines and dangerous debris that you cannot see.  And just 6 inches of water can knock you off your feet.  If driving, there may be washed out sections of the roads you can’t see.  And just 12 inches of moving water can float many cars; 24 inches can sweep away trucks and SUVs. Turn Around. Don’t Drown.

·        When it is safe to return home and you find it damaged, contact your insurance agent immediately. A claims adjuster should contact you in 24-48 hours (depending on the severity of the storm) to start the claims process. Review this infographic or fact sheet to learn more about the claims process.

·        While waiting for the adjuster, take photos or videos inside and outside of the home. If possible, record model, make and serial numbers of major appliances.  Remove flood-damaged items, making sure you document well what is taken out.

For more tips about what to do before and after a flood, read FEMA’s Claims Handbook for policyholders.  For more information about flood insurance, visit FloodSmart.gov. And to learn how to plan ahead for future severe weather, visit Ready.gov.

2026 Legislative Session Scoop - Week 4 Recap

By Louisiana REALTORS® • April 3, 2026
This week, the Legislature remained in high gear, and several items relevant to Louisiana’s real estate market moved into focus. The biggest headline for our industry this week was HB 468 by Rep. Troy Hebert , our wholesaling/consumer-protection bill, was slated to be heard on the House floor, however was bumped due to floor congestion and out-of-order bills. It is now expected to be reset for next Tuesday. This bill remains one of the clearest “market integrity” efforts on the board with clearer rules for non-traditional transactions, stronger transparency and better consumer protections. We also continued substantive policy work behind the scenes. We are actively engaging with Rep. Carver on a vacant land disclosure bill he has authored, and we appreciate that he is welcoming our input and guidance as the language is refined. Our goal is straightforward: ensure any vacant land disclosure framework is practical, reduces confusion and avoids unintentionally shifting liability or enforcement burdens onto real estate professionals. In addition, we were pleased to deepen our relationships at the Capitol this week. We had the privilege of hosting a lunch for the Governor’s Office, enjoyed meeting Governor Landry’s team, and look forward to working with them in a constructive, solutions-oriented manner as the session continues. Finally, Rep. Hebert also filed an additional measure that aligns with our legislative agenda and speaks directly to transaction risk management: HB 1027 , which would limit liability for licensed real estate appraisers in situations involving smoke and carbon monoxide detector compliance. The current law already provides that real estate agents are not liable for a seller’s failure to comply with Louisiana’s detector requirements in one- or two-family dwellings. HB 1027 would extend that same liability protection to licensed appraisers by amending R.S. 40:1581(F). This is a clean, common-sense clarification that helps prevent appraisers from being pulled into compliance disputes that properly belong with the seller’s statutory obligations. Next week, committees are scheduled to hear multiple bills relevant to real estate, including measures involving construction and roofing standards (often tied to insurance and mitigation), property rights/expropriation, and property tax and adjudicated property issues that can influence housing supply and neighborhood reinvestment. We will stay closely engaged and will flag any bills or amendments that materially affect transactions, homeownership costs or private property rights. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.

Cookbook for the REALTORS® Relief Foundation!

By Louisiana REALTORS® • April 2, 2026
Louisiana REALTORS® is compiling a cookbook of Louisiana flavor with a REALTOR® heart in support of the REALTORS® Relief Foundation . And we have two ways for you to get involved:  Join us in contributing your favorite recipe using this online form. If you want to include a picture with your recipe, send to info@larealtors.org and reference recipe title in email subject. Or share your creativity by designing the cover artwork for the cookbook. A small committee will review all entries and choose one to print on the cover. Stay tuned for more details on when you can grab your own copy of the cookbook! Cover artwork and recipes are due by April 17th.

2026 Legislative Session Scoop - Week 3 Recap

By Louisiana REALTORS® • March 27, 2026
Week three of the Regular Session kept real estate issues in the conversation, even as lawmakers continued to focus heavily on workforce, tax and insurance policy. On the property tax front, measures to reshape assessments and exemptions, including proposals for a new blight rehabilitation exemption and additional relief for seniors, remain parked in the House Ways and Means Committee as stakeholders work through fiscal and local government concerns. These bills matter because they will influence long-term carrying costs, redevelopment incentives and how tax burdens are shared across residential and commercial property. Homestead related legislation, including parish level authority to increase the exemption amount, is also in the queue, signaling that the broader structure of Louisiana’s homestead system is officially on the table, not just the dollar figure. For homeowners and buyers, this debate goes directly to affordability. For local governments, it raises revenue stability and service delivery questions. There also has been movement on several identical pieces of legislation that would instruct parish assessors to develop a process for homeowners to permanently register for the homestead exemption for the duration that they own and live on the property. We are actively tracking legislation that will directly shape how investor activity and non-traditional transactions are recognized and regulated in Louisiana’s real estate market. This includes HB 468 by Troy Hebert , a key component of the Louisiana REALTORS® legislative package that targets the wholesale of residential real estate, which was heard in the House Commerce Committee on Monday. The bill is currently positioned for a floor vote early next week. As drafted, HB 468 represents a major step in the right direction for consumer protection in Louisiana, advancing needed guardrails through potential disclosure, registration, and practice standards that could redefine how assignment contracts and “off-market” transactions intersect with licensed brokerage activity. In parallel, HB 292 by Delisha Boyd passed the House on final reading, 86-3, and is on its way to the Senate. Together, these measures represent a coordinated policy effort to bring greater structure and transparency to emerging transaction models, while preserving the integrity of the traditional brokerage framework. Finally, the broader policy backdrop remains important: the Governor continues to push income tax changes and cost of living relief, while business and industry groups are prioritizing insurance, workforce and energy — each a key driver of long run housing demand and investment. As these debates evolve, we’ll keep you updated on what moves, what stalls and what it all means for your clients, your pipeline and private property rights across Louisiana. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.
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