DELCAMBRE — If you are living in a camper in Delcambre, it has be moved twice a year if it is not elevated.
An ordinance for the town of Delcambre was introduced; as required by FEMA, states that any recreational vehicle (RV, camper) is required to be moved from its location for at least 24 hours.
According to www.laseagrant.org, recreational vehicles in A and V flood zones has to be moved every 180 days.
Owners of said vehicles are required to remove the RV from the property for the 24 hour period, once the 24 hours is up, RV’s can be moved back to the site.
The subject was part of a discussion during Monday night’s Delcambre Board of Aldermen meeting and pinpointed facts from various sites to better aid the public’s understanding of the requirement.
If the recreational vehicle is on the site for more than 180 consecutive days or is not ready for highway use, it must meet elevation and be anchored similar to manufactured homes.
When a storm threatens, it is assumed the RV can be moved out of the A or V Flood Zone to a safer location. This requirement ensures that the recreational vehicle is moveable upon the arrival of a storm.
As it is stated on the site www.fema.gov/recreational-vehicle, in some parts of the nation, campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks in the floodplain are evolving from camping and other short-term occupancies to permanent occupancies which can significantly increase risk to life and property and potential flood damages.
The distinguishing feature between a recreational vehicle park and a manufactured home park is the permanency of the installations. Poured concrete pads, permanent utility hookups, mail delivery to the site, and permanently attached structures are characteristics of a permanent residence or a typical manufactured home park.
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated southeast Louisiana and Mississippi, but caused only a small amount of damage in Delcambre. It wasn’t until four weeks later when Hurricane Rita arrived with complete devastation. The storm initially seemed so far west in Cameron Parish, the town of Delcambre was surprised when a 10 feet storm surge rolled into town and across the surrounding agricultural fields. The surge flooded all but 25 of the 903 structures in the corporate limits and caused $9.9 million in NFIP losses.
The best way to minimize flood damages is to ensure that recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds in the floodplain are limited to short-term occupancies, or, if they are not, to ensure that the units are adequately protected from flood damages through enforcement of floodplain management standards for manufactured homes.
During the meeting, Homer Stelly stated that RV owners are required to notify the city hall before the move. “In order to make sure that these mandatory requirements are being followed, owners are to call the city hall letting them know the vehicle is about to be moved,” Stelly said.
“We are trying to come up with a better way of keeping track of those who are moving their RV’s. We are managing now, but we need to figure out a better way,” he said.