This is not reassuring

[zoeyann]

From the Houma daily courier about hurricane preparation:
The most disturbing part is the storm surge reaching 45 miles inland

May 29. 2005 12:02AM

Hurricane season begins Wednesday -- Are we ready?
By LAURA McKNIGHT
The Courier







HOUMA -- With a rough hurricane season predicted, Terrebonne Parish officials and residents are again praying, hoping and wishing for another year of eluding "the big one."

Terrebonne residents again face predictions of a busy hurricane season -- including three to five major storms -- with no real hurricane protection. And with chunks of land vanishing into the sea, Terrebonne loses more of its natural buffer against storms each day.

Armed with a new State Police evacuation plan and some improvements to the levee system, Terrebonne officials and emergency groups say the parish is as prepared as possible for whatever comes our way. They encourage you to be, too.

LOSING PROTECTION
It’s no secret that subsidence and erosion are eating away Terrebonne’s marshes and swamps, but some locals say it’s not until major storms arrive that the fragility of the wetlands becomes frighteningly visible.

The parish’s levee system is in better shape than last year, due to repairs and maintenance work, according to Jerome Zeringue, executive director of the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District. Yet the parish’s levees offer no more than minimal flood protection at best, he said.

"The unfortunate reality is that until we get any significant hurricane protection, we are extremely vulnerable," Zeringue said. "We do not have hurricane protection of any consequence in Terrebonne Parish."

As future projects slowly move through the government process, some areas have even less protection. Among the most exposed are lower Dulac, parts of Pointe-aux-Chenes and Isle de Jean Charles, Zeringue said.

"Every day that goes by, every report that we do, every day projects get delayed, we’re more vulnerable because of what we’re losing," said Clifford Smith of T. Baker Smith & Son, a Houma civil-engineering firm.

Smith said the parish has lost about 10 square miles, or 6,500 acres of land in the past year.

"We’re really where the rubber meets the road," he said. "Those acres in my opinion are the buffer that has been protecting us for years. … We’re at least 6,500 acres less protected."

The missing land leaves the rest of the parish more exposed to storm surge, Smith said, adding that he believes Louisiana is more vulnerable to storms than other coastal states, such as Florida and Alabama, because of the low elevation.

Between 75 percent and 80 percent of Terrebonne sits at two feet or less land elevation, according to Tim Osborn of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In addition, the canals and widening bays crossing the landscape provide a wide-open conduit for storm surge to rush inland, he said.

Smith said the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway’s water level has risen about 24 inches in the past 30 years because the tide comes in farther due to land loss.

Hurricane Ivan’s 15-foot storm surge would have reached Schriever, 45 miles inland, before stopping, Smith said. That’s compared to the mile and a half the surge traveled in Alabama before stopping at a 15-foot land elevation, he said.

"That shows you how flat we are," Smith said. "We are so vulnerable, it’s unbelievable."

Peggy Case with the Terrebonne Readiness & Assistance Coalition, a nonprofit group that provides long-term aid after disasters, said many locals have the outdated mindset that they’re safe up to a Category 3 storm.

"The reality is we’re not fine for any storm," said Case.

Smith said he worries that based on the frequency of storms, with the last devastating local hit coming from 1965’s Hurricane Betsy, Terrebonne can’t remain lucky forever.

LESSONS FROM IVAN
As Ivan approached the coast last September, Cynthia Voisin sent her housekeeper, Sonia Feleciano, to New Orleans to get her out of harm’s way.

The women live in south Terrebonne along Bayou Dularge. Voisin said she wanted to shield Feleciano, a native of the Philippines, from the scary experiences she remembers.

"I didn’t want her to go through what we went through," Voisin said.

Instead, Feleciano was one of many stuck for nearly six hours on U.S. 90.

Terrebonne leaders say they are confident a new State Police evacuation plan, created after Ivan’s mishaps, will allow residents to get out safely.

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Jerry Larpenter remembers myriad traffic problems during evacuation for Ivan -- evacuees traveling from east to west instead of north, cars abandoned on U.S. 90, evacuees running out of gas on the roadways, wrecks and broken down cars that blocked roads, and a lack of communication between parishes on their plans.

The new plan offers a flexible framework for agencies to coordinate a mass evacuation tailored to each storm, according to State Police Troop C spokesman Matt Trahan.

"The plan is very fluid. It will work around whichever system is threatening the coast," Trahan said. "If the evacuation is going to be conducted smoothly, then these steps have to be taken."

For the Houma-Thibodaux area, primary evacuation routes include La. 56, La. 57, La. 1, La. 24, La. 20 and U.S. 90.

The plan should lessen congestion caused by evacuees traveling east-to-west through south Louisiana, he said. Trahan said not only were roads filled with New Orleans area evacuees, but also with evacuees from Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.

"Steps have been taken to help out with that," he said.

They include having troopers monitor certain locations and directing traffic from the east northward on Interstate 55 and Interstate 59.

Contraflow, used for the first time during Ivan, will be triggered 30 hours in advance of a Category 3 or higher storm on I-55, I-59 and Interstate 10, according to the plan.

Larpenter said if everyone cooperates, as Terrebonne will, the plan should work.

"It’s all about teamwork, cooperation and working in harmony," he said. "It has to be coordinated."

Terrebonne Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Michael Deroche, Parish President Don Schwab and Houma Police Department spokesman Lt. Todd Duplantis said the parish would adhere to the State Police plan, which will give Terrebonne residents ample time to evacuate.

"I think you’ll see a better cooperation and response time this time," Larpenter said.

Stephanie Shaw with the local chapter of the American Red Cross said the organization is partnering with State Police to produce a detailed evacuation map for residents. The map, which will include evacuation routes tailored to various scenarios and contra-flow information, should be available to the public in mid-June, she said.

"We’re very involved in the contraflow, because we believe people should evacuate," said Shaw.

Trahan said Troop C, which includes Terrebonne Parish, has talked with troops bordering the Troop C area to ensure that the agency nearer a wreck during evacuation will clear it. Trahan said problems last year ran along troop borders, when motorists had to wait for a trooper from that territory, though a trooper from another agency was closer.

Trahan points out that according to state law, drivers can move cars off the road into a safe place after a wreck. Trahan and Larpenter said they are also working with local wreckers to secure their services if needed during storms.

Schwab said he learned the importance of communication during Ivan. He admits he should have called an emergency sooner, instead of waiting until school was in session. This year, Schwab said he plans to keep in close contact with the superintendent to coordinate emergency plans.

"I think the communication is the most important thing," Schwab said.

The American Red Cross in Thibodaux, which covers Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption and St. Mary parishes, critiques itself after each storm, and again after each hurricane season. The nonprofit group, with 135 active volunteers, works with parishes during disasters.

Leaders of the local chapter said they plan to work with Terrebonne to make better use of Red Cross resources, especially volunteers.

"It costs to have a shelter running," said Shaw, a disaster specialist.

She said during a storm last season, the Red Cross opened two shelters at the parish’s request, but only a handful of people used them.

'WE’RE ALWAYS PREPARED’
Though preparations kick into high gear in the spring, most Terrebonne officials and agencies -- and State Police -- say they work year-round to prepare for hurricane season.

Larpenter said the Sheriff’s Office keeps all equipment in working order and employees informed of the 12-hour shifts that they would assume as a storm nears.

"I think we are as prepared as we’re ever gonna be," Schwab said. "You never can stop preparing for hurricane season."

Parish government held a department-head meeting May 25 to tweak the parish’s plan. Another meeting, set for early June, will include area law-enforcement agencies and nonprofit groups to coordinate this year’s plan, ironing out details such as evacuation shelters, volunteer crews and where to keep sandbags.

"Everything we do is based on the severity of the storm," Schwab said.

The Red Cross offers free training year-round for disaster relief.

Zeringue said levee district workers inspect levees, floodgates, pump stations and equipment monthly to ensure their working. Right before hurricane season, the district conducts an intense inspection.

"Everything looks good," said Zeringue.

Deroche said his office is always ready for the season.

"I think we’re real prepared," he said.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
Another key component of any hurricane plan? You, according to officials.

"We have to have the public’s cooperation," Trahan said.

Local leaders and emergency officials offer the following advice:

Have a game plan. Trahan suggests copying your game plan on the evacuation map soon to be released by State Police.

Prepare early. Buy supplies now.

"We don’t know when the first hurricane’s going to be," said Deroche.

Leave early. Make sure your car has a full tank of fuel, tires have air, and you have blankets, flares, cell phones, food and water.

"If you leave early, you go where you want. If you leave late, you go where we tell you," Trahan said.

Expect traffic congestion.

"No matter what plan is in effect, people have to expect traffic congestion," said Trahan. "There’s no way around that when having to move that many people on the roads at the same time."

Go north, not east or west, said Larpenter.

Listen to authorities.

Get informed.

"All the information is available," said Case. The Terrebonne Readiness and Assistance Web site includes all sorts of information on storm preparedness.

In June, a 64-page "Louisiana Storm Survival Guide," updated to include the State Police evacuation plan and translated into four languages, will be available at public libraries throughout Terrebonne and Lafourche, as well as other locations and online.

Also in June, the group is releasing an updated video on storm safety to be aired on local television stations. The video, which includes a 10-step plan that can be customized to each family, will also be available on the Web site, http://www.trac4la.com.

The Terrebonne Office of Emergency Preparedness also offers a host of information on the topic.

[patsmsg]

That's quite a scary picture. I hate to say it, but given the picture painted in the article, if I liven in Houma, I think I'd evacuate for ANY hurricane that approaches.

[cajungal]

Schriever is Not 45 miles inland. I think it is a lot closer than that. Maybe from the actual Gulf Of Mexico. But, not the coastline itself. It is maybe 30 miles at most.