A dollar saved is a dollar earned. Photo by Jacob Zuboy, FEMA.

When Craig Lee began to build his Vermilion Parish home, he was required to build his new house more than 8 feet off the ground to get a building permit. Craig’s brother, Kevin, had built his house nearby 25 years earlier, when there were no elevation requirements. After some initial reluctance, Craig decided to build his house high and mighty, securely anchoring it to a series of piers that were themselves anchored to a continuous footing. Craig estimated that it cost him $13,000 to build the 8-foot pier foundation for his house.

Hurricane Rita charged into Louisiana, and the floodwaters rose to 13 feet above sea level, inundating both the Lee brothers’ properties. Kevin’s older, non-elevated home was heavily damaged by almost 6 feet of water; he considers his home a total loss. Craig’s home, built on piers, stayed dry.

Craig admits, “When they told me I had to go this high, I tried to get around it. Now I’m really glad that I couldn’t. [The elevation requirement] saved my house from flooding.”

This home is featured in FEMA's Mitigation Best Practices - Read the full story.