City of Monroe, LA

Mayor Jamie Mayo and the Monroe City Council joins municipal leaders throughout Ouachita Parish to invite the media and public to attend the community meetings below: 

Ouachita Strong Flood Resiliency Strategic Plan Community Update Meeting 

ATTENTION RESIDENTS OF OUACHITA PARISH! 

A second round of community meetings will be held at the dates, times and locations below: 

Monroe 

Monroe Civic Center - B.D. Robinson Conference Hall 
401 Lea Joyner Expressway 
4 pm – 7 pm Tuesday, July 17, 2018 

West Monroe 

West Monroe Convention Center 
901 Ridge Avenue 
4 pm – 7 pm Thursday, July 19, 2018 

The first round of meetings was held in Monroe (June 19) and West Monroe (June 21). Hundreds of residents, from throughout Ouachita Parish, came and shared valuable information, ideas, and concerns. 2 

For our second round of meetings, on July 17 and 19, officials will share information gathered from the public, overview some actions and projects that have been identified, and update residents about Hazard Mitigation funding for projects that will help make our entire parish Ouachita Strong. 

Ouachita Strong is a proven approach in which local, state and federal governments work with all sectors of our community to create a strategic plan that will help us bounce back quicker from natural disasters like the historic 2016 flood. Although experts have been working together for months, in June 2018, we solicited community input to make this resiliency plan work. 

The first two questions that you might have are most likely… “What is OUACHITA STRONG?”; and, … “Exactly, what is a RESILIENCY STRATEGY?” 

This effort is a direct result of the devastating flood of March 2016. The water did not discriminate. It affected thousands of people on both sides of the river, and on every side of town. Homes…businesses…churches…schools…Roads…bridges…levees…and pump stations were damaged. Many aspects of our lives were hurt or hampered. We are now on the “long road to recovery.” But, what happens when the next flood comes our way? 

That’s where OUACHITA STRONG and this RESILIENCY STRATEGY comes in. 

OUACHITA STRONG includes all the local governments within Ouachita Parish (Monroe, West Monroe, Ouachita Parish Police Jury, Richwood, and Sterlington). 

We are working in partnership with FEMA, the Louisiana Office of Community Development, Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Tensas Basin Levee District, and North Delta Regional Planning. 

With input from the people throughout the community, we are developing a strategic plan to not only reduce our risk from floods and other natural disasters, but help families, businesses, churches and others be able to bounce back faster after a disaster. 

At the June community meetings, we solicited input from the public to help us with projects, initiatives and priorities in key areas such as: 

• Housing, 
• Infrastructure, 
• Natural and Cultural Resources, 
• Economic Development
• Health & Social Services, and 
• Community Planning & Capacity Building. 

A station, for each of the above key areas, will be set up at both July meetings. If time allows, we are asking the public to visit the stations, talk with our experts, and learn more about this strategic approach. Help us create a strategic plan that will make us more resilient…a plan that will make us OUACHITA STRONG! 

SPREAD THE WORD AND BRING SOMEONE WITH YOU!