Water damage restoration in Baton Rouge

The city's position explains a lot. The Istrouma Bluff, the first natural bluff upriver from the Mississippi Delta, keeps the business quarter safe from seasonal flooding, with a levee running south from it. ^[1] Moving east and south, land flattens toward the Comite and Amite rivers, and that is where most flood worries begin.

In August 2016, rain fell at 2 to 3 inches an hour in the hardest-hit areas and more than 20 inches accumulated across multiple parishes, with 31.39 inches recorded at Watson. ^[2] A flash flood warning covered areas along the Amite and Comite, and over 146,000 Louisiana homes were damaged in the event. ^[2] Five of the 13 confirmed deaths were in East Baton Rouge Parish. ^[2]

Only about 21 percent of Louisiana structures had NFIP coverage then. ^[2] That gap remains the lasting lesson: a home outside a high-risk zone can still flood, and a homeowners policy generally will not pay for it. ^[3]

Gustav hit Baton Rouge on September 1, 2008, with winds over 100 mph. It is described as the worst hurricane ever to hit the area, and the city shut down for five days under a curfew. ^[1] Roofs in the Garden District, along Highland Road and in Goodwood were among those damaged by falling trees. ^[1]

Inland hurricane damage is largely about wind, rain and the long outage that follows. A roof open to rain in a house with no air conditioning is a recipe for mold. The EPA's advice to dry within 24 to 48 hours ^[4] may not be achievable, so remove soaked insulation and ceiling material when it is safe to do so, and document it all.

Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish share a consolidated government, led by a mayor-president. ^[1] Baker and Zachary run their own affairs, and Port Allen, Plaquemine, Gonzales and Prairieville sit in different parishes. Confirm your jurisdiction before rebuilding, especially if you are in a mapped flood zone, where repair of substantially damaged homes can trigger elevation requirements.

East across the Amite lie Denham Springs and Walker, hit hard in 2016. Further east along I-12 you reach the Northshore, and New Orleans lies southeast.

The Comite is a 56-mile tributary of the Amite that drains about 348 square miles, including parts of East Feliciana and East Baton Rouge parishes, and it meets the Amite just north of Florida Boulevard near the city's eastern boundary. ^[6] So rain falling well to the north, even in Mississippi, ends up passing Baton Rouge's outlying neighborhoods. Homes in the eastern suburbs can flood when it has not rained especially hard on their own street.

The Amite then continues past Denham Springs toward the south. ^[7] During a major event, water that cannot escape downstream backs up into tributaries and low subdivisions, which helps explain why flooding in 2016 extended so far beyond the river channels themselves. In Ascension Parish, nearly one-third of homes flooded after a levee was overtopped, ^[2] showing how far south the effects of the same storm reached into places such as Gonzales and Prairieville.

If you live in this part of the region, watch the river forecasts for more than one gauge. A crest at one location may take time to reach yours. Knowing how your own neighborhood behaved in 2016, whether from neighbors or from public flood maps, is useful background, but a future event could be higher or lower.

Baton Rouge's housing ranges widely. Older areas near downtown, such as the Garden District and Mid City, ^[1] include houses with raised floors, wood siding and old plaster or board walls. In these homes, a bathroom leak can drop straight through a floor into the space below, so insulation, sills and joists should be part of any inspection. Lead paint is a real possibility in houses built before 1978. ^[8]

Further out, many postwar neighborhoods have slab foundations and brick veneer. Those brick walls can look unaffected from outside while wet insulation and drywall sit behind them. Water that gets into the gap behind brick may drain slowly through weep holes, and blocked ones can trap moisture. Slab homes also tend to have water heaters in closets or garages, and when one fails it can wet a surprising area before anyone notices.

Student rentals around LSU and multifamily complexes across town add landlord and tenant questions. Report damage in writing and photograph your own belongings. If you are a landlord, think ahead about who your tenants should call, because a leak reported late in the evening may otherwise sit until morning.

Baton Rouge's average of 61.94 inches of precipitation places it among the wettest U.S. cities. ^[1] Much of this comes in heavy bursts, so gutters overflow, flat or low-slope roof sections pond, and window flashings face repeated tests. Most of the resulting damage is small but persistent: a recurring stain over a window, soft trim, a musty closet on an outside wall.

These slower problems matter because insurers often treat long-term leaks differently from sudden events, and because mold prefers exactly these conditions. Fix the entry point first, then dry what is wet. If you are unsure whether a stain is active, mark its edge in pencil and check it after the next rain, or ask for a meter reading. A home with chronic dampness may benefit from a look at its air conditioning size and bath fan venting too, since the EPA suggests keeping indoor humidity between 30 and 50 percent. ^[4]

Being inland does not keep Baton Rouge out of a hurricane's path. Gustav topped 100 mph here and shut down the city for five days. ^[1] Trees are the main threat, and the areas named in accounts of that storm, the Garden District, Highland Road and Goodwood, ^[1] are places with mature canopies over older roofs.

After such a storm, inspect the attic as soon as it is safe, since water may be reaching insulation without yet showing on ceilings. Cover openings to stop more rain from getting in, keeping photos and receipts as state guidance suggests. ^[3] If your power is out, consider that a closed-up house can reach humidity levels that promote growth within days. When conditions outside are drier than inside, ventilating may help for a while, but close up again before running dehumidifiers.

Port Allen lies in West Baton Rouge Parish across the Mississippi, Plaquemine is in Iberville Parish, and Gonzales and Prairieville are in Ascension Parish. Each parish and city has its own rules, and each has its own drainage arrangements. Ascension's experience in 2016 ^[2] gives people there a particular reason to check how levees and low ground affect their street.

When you call, give your ZIP code and parish. If you have a claim open, have your policy number nearby, because contractors may ask which adjuster is involved. Anything to do with permits should be confirmed with the local office instead of relying on advice from another parish.

Back to all of Louisiana. Nearby pages: Covington and Mandeville, Denham Springs and Walker, Metairie and Kenner, New Orleans, Shreveport and Bossier City, Slidell.

Related help for Baton Rouge: water extraction, structural drying, sewage backup cleanup, fire damage restoration and smoke damage cleanup. First time dealing with this? Read the first hours after water damage.