Orleans city council meets for first time since storm (withstanding a Cat 3 won't be good enough)

Orleans council meets for first time since storm
By JOE GYAN JR.
jgyan@theadvocate.com
New Orleans bureau

KENNER -- Several New Orleans levees that failed during Hurricane Katrina and caused catastrophic flooding in parts of the city will be back to their pre-Katrina heights by the start of next year's hurricane season, a top U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official promised City Council members who met as a group Tuesday for the first time since the hurricane.

But several council members who lost their homes in the storm said having the same level of levee protection as before -- capacity to withstand a Category 3 hurricane--won't be good enough.

"Just pre-Katrina is not going to work for us. We've got to go one step above,'' Councilwoman Cynthia Morrell told Brig. Gen. Robert Crear, commander of the Corps' Mississippi River Valley Division. "I know you can't give me Category 5 (protection).''

After Katrina made landfall Aug. 29, levees on the 17th Street and London Avenue canals near the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain were breached, as was the levee on the Industrial Canal.

The Industrial Canal levee, patched after Katrina, was topped and shoved back by Hurricane Rita on Saturday, reflooding the already-devastated lower 9th Ward area.

Crear told the council meeting at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, that the Industrial Canal levee will have "interim protection'' of 10 feet in height by Dec. 1.

All of the breached levees, which have been patched, will be returned to their pre-Katrina levels by June 1, Crear said. "They (Corps workers) will make those dates."

Crear said crews from Germany are helping pump water out of eastern New Orleans and workers from Holland are aiding efforts in the 9th Ward.

Council President Oliver Thomas said if Holland can protect itself from the North Sea, why can't New Orleans shield itself from Lake Pontchartrain.

Mayor Ray Nagin told council members he will announce his plans today in Baton Rouge about repopulating New Orleans. The mayor has allowed residents in the west bank town of Algiers to return to their homes. Residents on the east bank still are waiting.

Nagin said he is eager to "restart this economy and get people back here.'' The mayor said his criteria for reopening parts of the city are no flooding, hospital services, a good retail environment, and water and sewerage service.

By this weekend, Nagin said, some residents in targeted areas on the east bank may be allowed to do more than just "look and leave'' -- a reference to his re-entry plan that has confused many residents. Some may be able to "look and stay.''

Nagin again shook off criticism, from Gov. Kathleen Blanco and President Bush, that he is moving too quickly to repopulate the city.

"It's an unprecedented challenge. There's lots of people out there who are saying it's too early. I don't buy that,'' he said. "If it's too early, then when is it the right time?"

The Rev. Robert Guste of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Kenner opened the meeting by telling members that Katrina and Rita could be God's call for a renewed city. Referring to the city's numerous near misses with hurricanes, Guste said, "God was knocking on our door and telling us to get our house ready.''

Guste, citing the city's gay bars, Decadence Festival, pornography, gambling, the debauchery of Mardi Gras and the fact some refer to New Orleans as "Sin City,'' said, "Does this not invite divine judgment.'' Guste, 78, said when he is asked if New Orleans will ever be the same, he simply replies, "I hope not. I hope and pray it will be a better city.''

Thomas told the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Steve Adukaitis that he wants to see residents who already have suffered enough "made 100 percent whole'' by FEMA. "No less than that.''

Entergy New Orleans President Dan Packer said it may be some time before the city is back in one piece. He said power cannot be restored to 125,000 homes because they still are flooded or were damaged too severely.

"It will be some time before we bring power to all areas of the city,'' Entergy New Orleans' Don West added. He said it is not a matter of Entergy's "will,'' but of "physics.''

All of this has happened before. From http://www.orleanslevee.com/History3.htm

Hurricane Levee System

The Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity Hurricane Protection Project was authorized by Congress in 1965. In late 1966, construction of floodwalls along the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal began on east and west sides. This project advanced so well that when Hurricane Camille hit in 1969, New Orleans was protected from similar tides as were produced by Hurricane Betsy.

In order to accelerate construction time, the Orleans Levee Board financed and constructed portions of the floodwalls, and in 1973, the project along the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal was virtually completed.

Construction on other portions of the project were continuing: the Citrus Back Levee, Michoud Slip Levee, New Orleans East Back Levee, New Orleans East South Point to Gulf Intercoastal Water Ways were constructed and substantially completed by 1977. First lifts were constructed on the Orleans portion of the Chalmette loop levee in 1970, and the major flood protection structure at Bayou Bienvenue was built in 1974 providing interim protection to New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward.

In 1977, the Fifth District Court ruled the Environmental Impact Statement inadequate and enjoined construction of the entire project. Subsequently, the injunction was modified to permit construction of the levee/floodwall elements of the hurricane protection plan. During the interim, sections of floodwall were constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Orleans Marina, Lakefront Airport, and Lincoln Beach.

Since adoption of the Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity Hurricane Protection Project High Level Plan of 1985, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Orleans Levee Board have completed the bulk of the protection along the Lakefront between the Jefferson Parish line and South Point.

In a sense, levee-building in New Orleans is a story of rising human expectations. In 1718, a three-foot levee serving to protect the tiny city from both river and tidal overflow was considered adequate. In 1915, a 10-foot high levee seemed sufficient until a hurricane hit. In 1927, the near-overtopping of the river levees demonstrated the inadequacy of the then-existing embankments. In 1947, a major hurricane demonstrated the dire need for tidal protection levees. In 1965, Hurricane Betsy sent thousands of people scrambling for their attics and rooftops.

In 1969, the Orleans Levee Board constructed an earthen levee elevated to 12 feet along Lakeshore Drive from West End Boulevard to the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal. In 1981, these levees were raised to an elevation of 16 feet. By 1987, these levees were raised to an elevation of approximately 18 feet, in accordance with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' High Level Plan.

These lakefront levees could protect the city from the fury of the storm. But the crucial points of defense for New Orleans would be the three "outfall" canals at 17th Street, Orleans Avenue, and London Avenue. "Outfall" refers to the role of these canals which is to direct water from the city's pumping stations into Lake Pontchartrain. However, incoming water driven by a hurricane would raise the water levels in the canals, effectively blocking the flow of water from the canals into the lake. The pumping stations would have to cease operations or risk trapped waters topping the levees and pouring into the city.

That danger will be eliminated with a joint effort of the Orleans Levee Board, New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct new pumping stations, improve drainage, and raise levees.

In 1993, construction began to raise these levees to the Standard High Level Plan (approximately 21 feet) along both sides of the Orleans and London Avenue canals. When finished, this system will significantly reduce the danger of tidal flooding, even in a worst-case scenario where a hurricane attacks New Orleans from a Lake Pontchartrain approach.

Vested with the powers to enlarge and improve flood protection structures, the Orleans Levee Board today has under its jurisdiction an intensive flood protection system including 107 hurricane floodgates, including the Bayou Bienvenue flood control structure, 73 Mississippi River floodgates, 38 hurricane values, 62 Mississippi River valves, and approximately 129 miles of levees (as of 8/23/94). Twenty-eight miles of these levees provide protection along the east and west banks of the Mississippi River and the remaining 101 miles protect those areas of the city subject to tidal action--and these, for the most part, provide the city's hurricane protection at the present time.

Since 1992, the Orleans Levee Board is spending over $140 million on hurricane and flood protection works. In 1993, the Orleans Levee Board completed construction on the Bayou St. John Sector Gate and related levee/floodwall work at a cost of $4.3 million and began construction on 13 other Lake Pontchartrain hurricane and flood protection projects, estimated to cost over $35 million. Between 1994 - 1998, the Orleans Levee Board will spend an estimated $97.3 million on Lake Pontchartrain & Vicinity High Level Plan and related Orleans Levee District Hurricane and Flood Protection Projects. One additional Mississippi River & Tributaries Project is scheduled at an estimated cost of $1 million. Two West Bank Hurricane Protection Plan projects are scheduled for construction and will cost an estimated $7.5 million.

The implementation of these hurricane and flood protection projects embodies the Orleans Levee Board's commitment to assure the protection of the people and property of the City of New Orleans. Entrusted to protect Louisiana's highest concentration of major commercial infrastructure and one of America's most significant historical assets, the Vieux Carre, the Orleans Levee Board is determined to fight hurricanes from taking New Orleans by storm.

Interesting articles. The truth of what to do lies somewhere between what the Dutch did to stop the North Sea from taking them to learning from this article how to save land. (from National Gerographic). Drastic measures will have to be taken to preserve the fishing, oyster beds etc. while allowing the land to rebuild over the years. New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta could become the modern miracle of the ages if done correctly – repeating the same mistakes should not be an option.

"A cocktail of natural and human factors is putting the coast under. Delta soils naturally compact and sink over time, eventually giving way to open water unless fresh layers of sediment offset the subsidence. The Mississippi's spring floods once maintained that balance, but the annual deluges were often disastrous. After a devastating flood in 1927, levees were raised along the river and lined with concrete, effectively funneling the marsh-building sediments to the deep waters of the Gulf. Since the 1950s engineers have also cut more than 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) of canals through the marsh for petroleum exploration and ship traffic. These new ditches sliced the wetlands into a giant jigsaw puzzle, increasing erosion and allowing lethal doses of salt water to infiltrate brackish and freshwater marshes.

"While such loss hits every bayou-loving Louisianan right in the heart, it also hits nearly every U.S. citizen right in the wallet. Louisiana has the hardest working wetlands in America, a watery world of bayous, marshes, and barrier islands that either produces or transports more than a third of the nation's oil and a quarter of its natural gas, and ranks second only to Alaska in commercial fish landings. As wildlife habitat, it makes Florida's Everglades look like a petting zoo by comparison."

This isn't global warming; it is man blocking the natural rejuvenation of land with "aids" allowing the building of homes and populating in an inappropriate area.

Interesting articles. The truth of what to do lies somewhere between what the Dutch did to stop the North Sea from taking them to learning from this article how to save land.

Eww. I think I saw something about that on the National Geographic Channel. Something drops down and blocks out the sea. I thought it was cement. I could be wrong.

How the Dutch Mastered the North Sea
by Eleanor Beardsley
All Things Considered, September 14, 2005

When it's calm on the North Sea, the storm surge barriers are a popular attraction.

Weathering a North Sea storm with the surge barriers closed.

Fully one-half of The Netherlands lies below sea level -- but since Medieval times, the Dutch have used a clever and comprehensive system of dikes and levees to keep the country relatively dry. The characteristic windmills that once dotted the countryside were used primarily as pumps to keep the North Sea at bay.

But often even the best-laid plans are no match for Mother Nature. In 1953, hundreds of miles of dikes along rivers gave way in a violent storm and the flooding killed nearly 2,000 people.

After the catastrophe the Dutch government vowed "never again" and set about building a system of dikes and sea walls that could not fail. As the city of New Orleans struggles to recover, engineers are taking a few lessons from centuries of Dutch experience.

In their most ambitious project, the Dutch built three giant sea walls, called storm surge barriers, to protect the fragile inlets and dikes. The barriers remain open in normal weather -- but during a storm surge 63 hydraulic-powered sluice gates, each 20 feet tall, keep the rising waters out.

The massive system of dikes and the storm surge barrier are a point of pride for the Dutch. But now scientists and engineers are struggling to take climate change and rising sea levels into account in the nation's eternal fight to hold back the sea.

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