PRESS RELEASE

Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration News Update
Office Of Coastal Protection And Restoration Officials Working With Levee Districts, Corps In Advance Of Ike's Landfall
BATON ROUGE (September 10, 2008) - The Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration (OCPR) is coordinating with levee districts across Southeast Louisiana as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close floodgates and direct the necessary resources to reinforce storm protection systems in advance of the approach of Hurricane Ike to the western Gulf of Mexico.

Storm surge gates have been closed at the following locations:

Bayou Bienvenue in St. Bernard Parish
The Harvey Canal on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish
Bayou Lafourche in Golden Meadow
Bayou Little Caillou in Terrebonne Parish
Bayou Terrebonne in Terrebonne Parish

The OCPR has also directed resources to the east end of Grand Isle to add additional rock shoreline protection to areas near Barataria Pass that experienced significant scour erosion during Hurricane Gustav's landfall on Monday, Sept. 1.

OCPR levee and wetland officials worked with levee districts and the Corps of Engineers well in advance of Gustav's landfall and have since been directing the necessary resources to repair any damages in preparation for Ike.

Ike is forecast to make landfall along the central Texas coast as a major Category 3 or possibly Category 4 hurricane either late Friday, Sept. 12 or early morning Saturday, Sept. 13.

Tropical storm condit! ions are expected across the Louisiana coast as early as Thursday, Sept. 11 with offshore waves reaching as high as 25 feet in some locations. Storm surges could reach five feet or higher in parts of central and western Louisiana, according to the National Weather Service.

More information about flood gate closures will be made available as it is obtained.

For more information about flood protection efforts in the wake of Gustav and in preparation for Ike, please contact Chris Macaluso at 225-229-2051.

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