Louisiana officials worry about levees

Published 29 August 2006

Tropical Storm Ernesto heads toward Gulf of Mexico; evacuation planning seems improved but overtopping and breaching still threaten levees

Doing a heckava job (we hope): with Tropical Storm Ernesto making its way to the Gulf of Mexico, officials from the Army Corps of Engineers warned yesterday that repairs made over the last year to New Orleans’ levee system may not be sufficient if Ernesto earns a promotion to Hurricane status. Once again, breaching and overtopping are the primary concerns.

In one promising sign, state and local officials seem more engaged with the problem than last time around. Mandatory evacuation of New Orleans is scheduled for the moment the storm reaches forty hours from the coast, and the city, eager to avoid the fiasco of having dozens of school buses photographed under water, has contracted with transportation companies to probide buses and trains for those unable to evacuate themselves. Officials yesterday also showed off enhanced physical protection measures, demonstrating flood gates that can be dropped into the mouths of three large canals to reduce the effect of water surging out of Lake Ponchartrain. “I will feel better when they are fully functional and complete, but it will take time,” Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco said. “We’ve gotten as far as we could get in one year.”

-read more in this AP report