14-year-old Lao among THS’s Class of 2011
May 17, 2011Thursday, May 19
May 19, 2011U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Morganza-to-the-Gulf Project Manager Elaine Stark came to Houma last Tuesday to announce consideration by the federal government to extend plans for the 72-mile levee and floodgate system approximately another 15.5 half miles with the intention of adding protection from its current western point in Dularge up to Gibson.
What she received was a scolding from members of the levee board regarding the federal government’s lack of producing results while locals take matters into their own hands.
The intention of the revised corps plan, according to Stark, is to save the western most parts of Terrebonne Parish from storm surges and flooding.
The announcement came on the heels of levee board members having authorized spending as much as $600,000 to take emergency measures and protect that very area from impending flooding from the Atchafalaya River, as well as back-flooding into regional bayous.
Levee officials are anticipating an opening upstream of the Morganza Spillway at the Mississippi River. Such an event, it is forecasted, will result in floods of historic proportion, as have already been taking place from south of St. Louis, into Memphis and heading toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Stark’s comments, wanting to protect a region that, for the past two weeks, has been identified as an area certain to receive destructive flooding, only added to the anger local and state officials had voiced for nearly six years regarding what they view as the federal government dragging its feet when it comes to protecting southeast Louisiana.
“The [Morganza-to-the-Gulf] project doesn’t work and we lose all our benefits if we don’t extend it that far,” she said. “This will be included as a change to the originally authorized project. This is something we are going to propose … it will be in our recommended plan, then the [Obama] administration has buy on it and send it to Congress.” Stark said the changes and studies are intended for six months.
The original Morganza project was approved by Congress in 2007, but later returned for review and changes. New standards were required following Hurricane Katrina. Federal funding was also cut during 2011 and Congress placed a ban on earmarks, which further stalled corps activity beyond studies, recommendations and reviews. “We have not yet figured out where [the money to pay for the extension] is going to come from but there had been a commitment to do that,” Stark said. “We should have a report up by the end of the calendar year 2012.”
The corps and federal government has come under increased fire from local and state officials who, by way of taxes and grants, have funded and begun building the inner Morganza themselves.
During an April presentation before the levee board and regional delegates, in which a promise of $10 million in state funds was offered for the Morganza-to-the-Gulf project, Gov. Bobby Jindal said he too was tired of waiting on the federal government.
“At this point, I hate to give false hope to these people,” said Levee Board President Tony Alford. “Here we are waiting. The people thought the feds were going to save us, but it never came.”
Alford and board member Gilbert Talbot took the lead in delivering their punishment with Stark, representing the federal government, as their target. Talbot said he is nearly 80 years old and suggested that he may never see the federal government help finance or turn earth on the Morganza project.
“I use to be able to walk that area,” he said. “Not it’s gone. … Where have you been?”
Following her presentation, Stark, who was emotionally shaken, was asked if her announced extension of the Morganza project was in any way connected to the expected flooding on the Atchafalaya. “No. No sir. The Morganza-to-the-Gulf project can only derive its benefits from hurricane protection,” she said.
“I think what we are going to have to end up doing is call on business leaders to help [complete financing the Morganza project].” Alford said. “I’m not going to ask people to pay another tax.”
