The levees that protect New Orleans are sinking, just as officials knew they would. The Army Corps is doing a study to figure out what repairs are needed. On Tuesday the agency held several public meetings on the process.
The Corps and local levee authorities built a $14 billion Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) around the city after Hurricane Katrina. Because of the soft soil the levees were built on, they’re naturally sinking. Sea level rise also poses a risk.
If the system sinks or is damaged to the point that it can no longer provide protection from a 100-year storm - a storm with a one percent chance of happening - property in New Orleans will become too vulnerable to flooding to receive subsidized federal flood insurance.
The Corps has received federal money to study how to reinforce the system so that that does not happen. Before they finalize their plan, they are collecting input from residents, like Jim Goodwin, who lives in Algiers Point. He worries about the safety of his home and neighborhood.
Goodwin says, “Algiers is one of the high points in the city but we want to maintain that feeling of security. But we’re always vulnerable.”
Army Corps project manager Bradley Drouant presented the plan at meetings in Algiers and Army Corps headquarters on Leake Avenue Tuesday. He says the Corps’ study will take three years and cost $3 million. The agency is looking at a number of potential fixes.
Drouant says, “We can’t limit ourselves to just looking at levee lifts, we have to look at other potential possibilities, like floodproofing critical infrastructure and raising infrastructure.”
Once the study is complete, the city may receive matching funds from the federal government to help make the repairs.
