THE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS Volume: 60 Issue: 2
unodriftwood.com
AUGUST 24, 2016
CATASTROPHIC FLOOD DRENCHES LA
BY CHRISTOPHER WALKER Editor-in-Chief On Friday, Aug. 12, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared Louisiana to be in a state of emergency. Described by scientists as the kind of flood that comes once every thousand years, 60,000 homes were damaged, 20,000 people rescued and 13 Louisianians dead made this one of the worst floods in the state’s history. Smaller towns in central Louisiana surrounded by rivers were overrun with floodwaters. Hally Lambert, a 22-year-old graduate of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, currently lives with
her parents in Gonzalez. She described her experience, “We had no idea the rain was going to be this bad. We live in a flood zone by the Amite River, but our house is three and a half feet off the ground, and we thought we were prepared for flooding. Water comes up to the front lawn occasionally, but it’s never even gotten to our porch. This time was different.” Once the storm had subsided, her family assessed the damage. “We got a foot of water in the house.” Hally’s home was built on a wooden foundation, which is extremely susceptible to water damage. A
foot of water is devastating for the structure. “The floors are done for; half the walls had to be torn down; all of our furniture, faucets, beds, clothes are destroyed. The founda-
there was any way to prepare for this, or if there’s anything locals can do going forward that will prevent this from happening again other than relocating.” Though Gonzalez suffered damage, residents of Denham Springs were hit hardest. Over 90 percent of houses in the area suffered water damage; many houses got over four feet of water. Joyce Kahl is a University of New Orleans student whose family resides in Denham Springs. “Everybody I know has water damage to their home in Denham Springs. My uncle’s entire house was underwater
“Everyone I know from my childhood lost their house.” tion of my house was underwater for five days. There’s no way to repair it; it has to be replaced.” “Going forward, I don’t know if
up to the roof.” If a house gets even a few inches of water inside, the drywall needs to be ripped out, the insulation thrown away, and floors need to be replaced. It’s a headache for those with flood insurance, and a life-altering catastrophe for those without. “So many people didn’t have flood insurance because they’re not in a flood zone, and now they’re left with nothing,” said Lambert. “Everyone I know from my childhood lost their house. It’s devastating. But you have to stay strong for your family. It’s hard for everybody. We had to clean out our house today. It’s just something you never expect to do.” Continued on page 6
Punishment for smoking weed depends on who catches you BY MINDY JARRETT Copy Editor A New Orleans marijuana reform ordinance marks its two-month anniversary this week. The ordinance was first signed into municipal (city) code in March by Mayor Mitch Landrieu and calls for New Orleans Police Department officers to issue summonses (tickets) rather than make arrests.
Offenders can receive tickets if they are 17 or older, do not possess more than 2.5 pounds of the substance, are in actual or shared possession of the substance, and have not committed the offense in a drug-free zone if they are caught by a municipal police officer. “It has a lot to do with keeping people out of jail who do not belong in jail,” said Councilwoman Susan Guidry at a criminal justice committee meeting in June.
Under the new ordinance, firsttime offenders will be fined $40, second-time offenders $60, thirdtime offenders $80, with the fine maxing out at $100 for fourth-time offenders.“There is no possibility of jail time [if caught by a city cop],” Guidry explained. In cases where the offender is in a drug-free zone, which includes school busses, drug treatment facilities, schools, properties used for school purposes, religious build-
ings, child daycare centers, public housing properties, or within 2,000 feet of any such properties, the officer has authority to use the stricter state law rather than the municipal code. Any other reason for using state law must be approved by the officer’s supervisor. Councilwoman Guidry expressed concern with the regulation of such circumstantial cases, hoping to avoid bias. But Deputy Chief Paul Noel said he feels sure
that the NOPD will be able to avoid this. “This policy is not that different from the previous policy that we had. We were already issuing summonses under state law previously.” In fact, NOPD officers have been issuing summonses to first-time offenders since 2010. Continued on page 5
Psychedelic drugs may have medical benefits, read more on page 7