New Orleans Storm Levee's Require Major Repairs

[Dick Pache]

Moderator note: This is a dupe of Corps of Engrs thread but I thought it was inportant and timely enough to warent a seperate topic.

News Release
Contact: Dana Finney FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 18 September 2005
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Task Force Hope
217-621-2932

New Orleans Storm Safeguards Require Major Repairs

BATON ROUGE, La. – Inspection results for the New Orleans area levee system show extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall on August 29. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dispatched a team of experts to assess the protective structures at the same time that efforts to unwater the region are ongoing.

"The system in its present condition does not ensure that the city will be protected against storms or hurricanes," said Brig. Gen. Robert Crear, commander of the Corps’ Task Force Hope for hurricane recovery.

With some levees still inaccessible due to flooding, the engineers are using sophisticated assessment methods such as aerial surveys and light detection - ranging (LIDAR) analysis to identify weaknesses left in Katrina’s wake. Findings include levee breaches created by the storm and deliberately created for drainage; levee overtopping that decreased levee design height through erosion; and sections completely eroded by the hurricane.

"The state of the levee system requires an urgent plan of action to provide an interim level of safety for the duration of this hurricane season," Crear said. "Our intent is to make these repairs as quickly as possible. There are no equipment or human resource constraints to this mission. Our number one priority is to first bring the system back to its pre-hurricane level of protection and then to determine what longer term course of action is needed."

The Corps has developed a phased plan for restoring the area’s storm safeguards, working in partnership with local levee boards and contractors. The levee system consists of multiple components – pumps, floodwalls, canals, and other systems – which are interdependent and must function properly to afford the design level of protection. The target date to restore the system to its previous level of protection is June 2006, in time for next year’s hurricane season.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing the Corps with the funds required to expeditiously repair levees during this hurricane season to an interim level of protection. FEMA is funding this effort as part of the unwatering mission, one of several missions the Corps is performing for FEMA in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama under Emergency Support Function #3, Public Works and Engineering, of the National Response Plan.

In addition to developing a repair schedule, the Corps of Engineers is working closely with local officials to identify weather and other conditions that would trigger an early warning system for residents who return to New Orleans before repairs are completed. These warning signs would activate an evacuation plan prior to the expected event.

"Until we can upgrade the hurricane protection system, residents who return to previously flooded areas will be at some risk," Crear said. "It’s imperative that an effective process is in place to evacuate if that becomes necessary."

On a regional basis, New Orleans and surrounding parishes vary in levels of vulnerability to future storm events:

Orleans East Bank – Protected against tidal flux; likely to flood under storm surge conditions.
St. Bernard Parish – Flood levee along the Mississippi Gulf Outlet damaged to the point of providing little to no protection. Storm surge could cause major re-flooding.
Jefferson Parish – Suffered less damage; vulnerable to storm-surge flooding from Orleans East Bank.
New Orleans East (Citrus) – Relatively low risk of flooding because Hurricane Katrina did not cause major levee breaches.
Plaquemines East – Levee is damaged and breaches still require repair to provide an interim level of protection.
Plaquemines West – Still has flooding and several breaches are being closed. Floodwater will be pumped out after breach closures are completed; repairs are needed to prevent re-flooding during storm events.
For more information on the Corps’ Hurricane Katrina response, please visit the Hurricane Katrina Response web site at http://www.mvd.usace.army.mil/hurricane/chr.php.

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[arcticfire]

June 06 before they are back up to the inadiquit pre-katrina level of protection. I imagine to actually make an effective sea wall after that would require years. Given the hurricain activity (ex: Rita) I'm honestly starting to think all the kings horses and all the kings men , won't be able to put NOLA back together again. The ocean will win eventually , the only question is how soon.

[f5]

June 06 before they are back up to the inadiquit pre-katrina level of protection. I imagine to actually make an effective sea wall after that would require years. Given the hurricain activity (ex: Rita) I'm honestly starting to think all the kings horses and all the kings men , won't be able to put NOLA back together again. The ocean will win eventually , the only question is how soon.

the GOM wants its land back that why the GOM keeps gassing up these CAT 4&5