Benedict G. Rousselle, known as Benny Rousselle (born January 20, 1951), is a

Realtor Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agent ...

and an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

Plaquemines Parish Plaquemines Parish ( ; ; ; ) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 23,515 at the 2020 census, the parish seat is Pointe à la Hache and the largest community is Belle Chasse. The parish was formed in 1807. ...

Greater New Orleans The New Orleans metropolitan area, designated the New Orleans–Metairie metropolitan statistical area by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, or simply Greater New Orleans (, ), is a metropolitan statistical area designated by the United ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. Plaquemines Parish is adjacent to the

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

district (also known as Fifteenth Ward) of New Orleans.

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

struck Plaquemines Parish during Rousselle's second term as parish president. Katrina and related

levee A levee ( or ), dike (American English), dyke (British English; see American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, spelling differences), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is an elevated ridge, natural ...

failures resulted in almost all homes and businesses of Plaquemines Parish being catastrophically flooded. Belle Chasse, the location of the Naval Air Station and the Joint Reserve Base, was spared from flood destruction as it is flanked by the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

on the northern and eastern sides and the Industrial Canal on the west side and naturally sits on high ground. Most had to evacuate permanently from their houses, and many remained for months in

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

trailers. Rousselle blamed the national administration for the way it handled the aftermath of Katrina. Other politicians who criticized the way the U.S. government handled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina were

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Ray Nagin Clarence Ray Nagin Jr. (born June 11, 1956) is an American former politician who was the 60th Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, from 2002 to 2010. A Democrat, Nagin became internationally known in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. N ...

of New Orleans and parish presidents Junior Rodriguez from St. Bernard and Aaron Broussard from Jefferson. Rousselle was constitutionally ineligible for a third consecutive term as Plaquemines parish president.

Election history

Member of Parish Council, District 2, 1990 Threshold > 50% First Ballot, October 6, 1990 State Representative, 105th Representative District, 1995 Threshold > 50% First Ballot, October 21, 1995 Second Ballot, November 18, 1995 Plaquemines Parish President, 1998 Threshold > 50% First Ballot, October 3, 1998 Plaquemines Parish President, 2002 Threshold > 50% First Ballot, October 5, 2002 Second Ballot, November 5, 2002

References

Sources

ThinkExist.com

Louisiana Secretary of State : https://web.archive.org/web/20060911211304/http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/ Plaquemines Parish: http://www.plaqueminesparish.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Rousselle, Benny Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives Presidents of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana People from Belle Chasse, Louisiana Politicians from New Orleans 1951 births Living people Catholics from Louisiana 20th-century members of the Louisiana State Legislature