PRESS RELEASE

Town Of Lafitte Reports Levee Overtopping As Of 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12
Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration News Update
Baton Rouge (September 12, 2008) -The storm surge from Hurricane Ike has overwhelmed efforts to reinforce levees protecting the downtown area of Lafitte, LA.

Lake Pontchartrain Levee District officials began at 9:00 a.m. Friday directing sand bags and other temporary levee improvement measures to Lafitte to try to protect the town hall and other facilities inside the levees. Temporary water filled tubes were used in addition to sandbags to try to raise levee heights.

But water levels in the Jefferson Parish town are approaching six feet tonight, and could go higher, says Lafitte Mayor Tim Kerner.

The Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is directing pumps and other resources to the town to help remove the water.

Kerner said areas outside of the levee have been flooding throughout the day on Friday.

Lafitte levees were compromised during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, as well.

The levees protecting Lafitte are not part of the federal levee system that protects the New Orleans area.

For the latest information on Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, visit emergency.louisiana.gov or call the state's emergency hotline at 1-866-288-2484 to listen to a recorded message with the most up-to-date information.

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