PRESS RELEASE HURRICANE IKE NEWS New Orleans area levee districts reported Thursday morning, Sept. 11, the closing of 21 flood gates in the New Orleans area and the anticipation of additional closings as storm surge levels continue to rise through Saturday, Sept. 13. Railroad companies have been notified that the need to close gates crossing rail lines is anticipated as early as Thursday afternoon. The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority West is anticipating the closure of all floodgates on the West Bank of Orleans and Jefferson Parish as early as Thursday afternoon. Flooding in low lying areas of St. Bernard Parish outside the New Orleans Area Hurricane Protection System near the towns of Shell Beach, Hopedale and Yscloskey has been reported. Contractors and parish officials in Plaquemines Parish working to repair the levee breech on the “Citrus Lands Levee” on the west bank of the parish reported that the breech caused by Hurricane Gustav has been filled with Hesco sand baskets and closed. Additional sand bags are being placed on the crown of the levee and were placed on the exterior of the levee to provide additional armoring. Officials reported water levels were rising on the exterior of the levee Thursday morning. Work being performed by both the Corps of Engineers and OCPR contractors to repair scour areas on Grand Isle caused by Gustav has been halted due to worsening weather conditions. OCPR contractors were working to add additional rock jetties to provide shoreline protection to the east end of Grand Isle through Wednesday night. High seas and rising storm surges from Ike have suspended that work. Work will continue after Ike’s passing. The Corps of Engineers halted work on repairs to the Grand Isle beach levee Wednesday as well. The Corps has reported that major breeches and scour areas on the Grand Isle beach have been filled with sand bags to help prevent further erosion from Ike. Tropical storm conditions are expected at Grand Isle through Saturday with possible storm surges exceeding six feet. OCPR officials say over-toppings or breeches of parish levees in the lower Terrebonne Parish area near the towns of Montegut, Point-Aux-Chenes and Chauvin are possible. Floodgates in Lafourche Parish on Bayou Lafourche at Golden Meadow have been closed. Floodgates have been closed in Terrebonne Parish on Bayou Little Caillou and Bayou Terrebonne. Storm surge heights are forecast to increase to nine feet or more in the central and western parts of coastal Louisiana. A tropical storm warning has been issued for the entire Louisiana coast with a hurricane warning issued for central and western Louisiana from Morgan City in St. Mary Parish through Cameron Parish and extending through the Central Texas coast. Levee condition updates will be provided as they are obtained. For the latest information on Hurricane Gustav, visit emergency.louisiana.gov. ### |
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