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When The Tracker asked me to write this, I was in the middle of a storm cleanup break in the Bourg kitchen of my older sister, with another older sister, my 85-year-old mother, and her 80-year old sister. At 48, I was the youngest person in the room by nearly 20 years. 

The four Cajun women are hardened storm vets, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to ask, “What do you think the people need from the federal government to help with storm recovery?” 

Tempers flared, grievances were aired, old wounds were reopened, and I had to regain order by running the conversation like a committee hearing. It was kind of fun making my older sisters raise their hands to speak, but I digress. 

We’ve all had to deal with FEMA, or Road Home, or Red Cross, or whatever aid there was in 1985 when Jaun flooded lower Terrebonne and Lafourche. And whether it’s 1985 or 2024, the helping hand of our federal government isn’t very helpful.

The level of frustration that exists in our community about how hard it is to get storm aid is consistent. “Well, this one got this much, and I had more damage!” or “How they want me to go online and fill out papers when I ain’t got power for weeks?” Rich or poor, we all have a history of being angered to the point of giving up on FEMA because it seems that FEMA’s default setting is to delay and deny, much like the insurance companies. 

My latest personal experience with this was when I had to fill out my mother’s FEMA claim for Ida in 2020. Now, I’m not the smartest guy down the bayou, but I graduated high school and college, own a successful business, and served over a decade in the state Senate, so I’m far from the dumbest. Let me just tell you that process humbled me.

Layer upon layer of red tape and waiting for what would end up being only a couple thousand dollars from the government that she’s paid taxes to all her life. It wasn’t even enough to cover the deductible on the insurance. 

I understand the need for identity verification and fraud protection, but having to fill out form after form and provide receipts for groceries that were in the fridge prior to the storm, and supplies bought after, is ridiculous. In times of trouble, the government should be worried more about helping first, instead of fighting fraud first. 

If you live in a coastal parish or county, FEMA should have a system where you can get pre-cleared with your identity, address and property, so you can get a small initial relief stipend of $100 before the storm hits. It’s not a lot, but for a family of four a couple hundred dollars would cover emergency food, water and gas. Most people are living check to check, and emergency expenses set them back. 

Or how about a list of FEMA assistance locations in my parish before we lose power? It should not take weeks after landfall for FEMA to set up shop in a hard-hit area. 

My advice to FEMA is another acronym we often use on the bayou: the K.I.S.S. method: Keep it simple, sha.

Norbèrt N. “Norby” Chabert represented District 20, which comprises the majority of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, in the state Senate. He is a partner in Claitor Chabert, a strategic consulting firm.

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