NEW ORLEANS (AP): The dikes, walls and floodgates that protect New Orleans withstood the fury of Hurricane Ida, overcoming its toughest test since the federal government spent billions of dollars to upgrade a system that failed catastrophically when Hurricane Katrina struck 16 years ago.
But strengthening the flood protection system in New Orleans could not save some neighboring communities from the destructive storm surge. Many residents in LaPlace, a western suburb, where work on a long-awaited dam project had recently begun, had to be rescued from the rising waters.
Marcie Jacob Hebert was evacuated before Ida, but there is no doubt that the storm flooded her home in LaPlace based on what she has seen and heard from neighbors. Her house was not flooded in 2005 during Katrina, but took nearly 60 meters of water during Hurricane Isaac in 2012.
“We didn’t have these problems until everyone else’s dikes worked,” said Hebert, 46. “It may not be the only factor, but I’m sure I think it contributes.”
Louisiana State University professor emeritus Craig Colten, who has taught historical geography, said most New Orleans dam systems have been in place for decades. He said the flooding at LaPlace can be explained by the direction of the wind, not by any floodwaters diverted from New Orleans.
“Isaac was really a minor storm in terms of wind speed, but he drove water into Lake Pontchartrain to the west shore, towards LaPlace, just as that storm did. And that will only accumulate water where LaPlace is, “Colten said.” I haven’t seen anything that has been done since Katrina that really makes a difference. “
Gov. John Bel Edwards said a preliminary study of Louisiana dikes showed they did exactly what they intended and retained water.
“We don’t think there’s any dock anywhere that has actually been broken or broken. There were some smaller dikes that were overgrown to a degree over a period of time,” Edwards said.
Two flood protection districts oversee the system in the parishes of Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard. None of the districts reported violations or demolition of dikes.
“The system worked the way it was designed,” said Nicholas Cali, regional director of the Southwest Louisiana Flood Protection Authority, which oversees the west bank of Orleans and Jefferson parishes. .
The flood protection authority for southeastern Louisiana, which covers St. Louis Parish. Bernard and most parishes in Orleans and Jefferson, also planned to inspect their system Monday, but found no problems, according to regional director Kelli Chandler.
Tulane University professor of history Andy Horowitz, author of “Katrina: A History, 1915-2015,” said it was “unequivocally big news” that the dikes would hold up against Ida’s rise. . That doesn’t mean a city as vulnerable as New Orleans is safe from flooding “in the face of a changing climate,” he added.
“It does not mean that the lesson of Hurricane Ida is that the metropolitan city of New Orleans has adequate protection against hurricanes. It means it had adequate protection against this storm surge, “Horowitz said.” Because the system is being challenged by stronger and more frequent hurricanes. I think a lot of experts are very concerned about the pretty low level of protection that Nova has. Orleans “.
A federal judge in New Orleans ruled in 2009 that the failure of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to properly maintain and operate the Mississippi-Gulf Outlet River was a major cause of the catastrophic floods during Katrina. Failure docks near Lake Pontchartrain also flooded New Orleans neighborhoods.
After Katrina, the federal government spent $ 14.5 billion on projects designed to improve protection against storm surges and flooding in New Orleans and the surrounding suburbs south of Lake Pontchartrain. Starting with a giant surge barrier to the east of the city, the system is a 210-kilometer ring built to contain storm surges of about 30 meters (9 meters).
Work began recently on a dam project to protect tens of thousands of residents in LaPlace and other communities outside of New Orleans ’dam system. This project is not expected to be completed by 2024.
“I’m glad they built us a dike, but I’m worried about what happens to the next group further west,” Hebert said. “The water has to go somewhere. We can’t keep channeling it from person to person, place to place. “
Bernips Fallas, a spokesman for Phillips 66, said the company had no immediate information on whether a breakdown of dikes in Plaquemines parish was reported to have affected its Alliance refinery in Belle Chasse. Fallas said the refinery has been closed since Saturday, ahead of Ida’s arrival.
“We will proceed with a post-storm assessment of the refinery when it is safe to do so,” Fallas said.
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Kunzelman reported from College Park, Maryland. Amy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Michael Biesecker in Washington; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; and Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge contributed to this report.