PRESS RELEASE

Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration News Update
Orleans Levee District To Close Highway Flood Gates In Eastern New Orleans Tonight
BATON ROUGE (September 11, 2008) - The Orleans Levee District (OLD) has announced it will close the floodgate on U.S. Hwy 11 near Irish Bayou at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, to prevent storm surge flooding from Hurricane Ike.

The OLD will also close the floodgate on U.S. Hwy. 90 in eastern Orleans Parish tonight at 9 p.m.

Both gates will remain closed until the threat of storm surge flooding from Ike abates.

Levee districts across southeast and south central Louisiana began closing floodgates Wednesday, Sept. 10 in preparation for storm surge flooding from Ike.

Other major storm gate closures include:

The Violet Canal and Bayou Bienvenue locks in St. Bernard Parish
The Harvey Canal Floodgate in Western Jefferson Parish
The Bayou Lafourche floodgate at Golden Meadow
The Bayou Little Caillou and Bayou Terrebonne gates in Terrebonne Parish

Marine interests are advised to monitor VHF radio for announcements of floodgate closures by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Information regarding floodgate closures and storm surge flooding from Hurricane Ike will be made available is it is obtained.

For the latest information on hurricanes Gustav and Ike, visit emergency.louisiana.gov.

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