NATCHEZ — Concordia Parish residents who sustained damage in the recent river flood will be required to pay a fee to have electrical service restored.

Flood Plain Manager Larry Walters updated the Concordia Parish Police Jury on how what is required from the community while recovering from the recent flood, which crested at approximately 57 feet on the Natchez river gauge in mid-January.

Concordia Parish is a participant in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s national flood insurance plan, which requires them to comply with certain guidelines. If the parish does not comply, Walters said, all citizens of the parish might lose their flood insurance.

Part of that compliance, Walters said, was making sure all structures at which electricity was cut off due to the rising flood waters last month were inspected before the power was restored.

If a property has received too much water damage for the power to be safely restored, the property owner must have their insurance provider, a contractor or the state estimate the amount of damage done to the property. If the damage is 50 percent or more of the property value, FEMA may provide funds to help elevate the structure to a safe level.

The inspection fee is $75, Walters said, and if the property passes the inspection, the permit fee is $5.

Walters said some residents had complained about the fees, which they consider to be an unfair burden.

“Some folks are going to get upset about it,” Walters said. “Last time, there was almost a lynching. We had FEMA here to explain, and still people are mad about paying $75 to get the lights turned on.”

The $75 allows Walters and his team to inspect electrical boxes to be sure they will not catch fire when power is restored, he said.

Walters said it wasn’t his favorite part of the job, either.

“I’d rather wade in mud than go up on a rickety pole and open that box up full of wasps,” Walters said. “You get back down and think , $75 ain’t nothing.”

District 3 Jury Member Whest Shirley asked if an inspection was required for houses that were cut off from power but did not receive any water damage.

Walters said it would vary by case.

“Just having power cut off doesn’t mean we’ll require it to be looked at,” Walters said. “If we know (no water went in the house) we’ll just turn it back on.”

In 2011, a historic river crest of 61.95 feet caused damage to hundreds of structures in the parish, Walters said. After that flood, many electrical boxes were damaged.

“I’d just pull the wires right off them,” Walters said. “The aluminum had just rotted off from the flood water. I know people don’t appreciate that, but it is saving their camper or house from catching on fire. I don’t feel bad about $75 for that.”

In other news

4The board moved to allow Jury President Jimmy Jernigan to execute an agreement with D&D Drilling Company, which the jury contends severely damaged a parish road last year. Jernigan said the jury had arrived at an agreement with the company by which the company would pay for all materials associated with the repairs and the parish would provide the labor to rebuild the road.

4 A public hearing will be set to determine whether the speed limit on Weecoma Road should be reduced to 25 miles per hour. District 2 Jury Member Willie Dunbar called for the hearing, saying the road is currently unsafe.