Stemming the tide

Local officials said Hurricane Isaac's path, lessons learned from past storms and cooperation between government and citizens helped mitigate the impact.

Nikki BuskeyStaff Writer

A direct hit from Hurricane Isaac caused days of rain and wind and knocked power out to thousands of residents, but the storm produced minimal wind damage and flooding in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.Local officials said the storm's path, lessons learned from past hurricanes and cooperation between government and citizens helped mitigate impacts from the storm.Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet said cooperation and lessons learned from hurricanes Gustav and Ike helped to make emergency response during Isaac go smoothly.The Emergency Operations Center in Terrebonne was staffed with parish employees with a broad range of specialties, from law enforcement to utilities. Residents could call one number, 873-6357, and be patched through to someone who could answer their question.In addition, contracts were already in place for debris removal and other services, ensuring the work got started quickly after the storm.Hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements helped Terrebonne make it through Isaac with minimal flooding, Claudet said.When past storms flooded Terrebonne, there was significantly less flood protection in place, Claudet said.“We've done a tremendous amount of infrastructure improvements on pump stations and drainage areas. The parish has spent $100 million improving drainage levees, and the levee district has spent $250 million on Morganza levees,” Claudet said.Terrebonne Levee Director Reggie Dupre said new levees in Chauvin and floodgates on Bush and Placid canals helped knock down storm surge. There was as much as a 3-foot difference between the level of the water at Little Caillou and the level in Montegut.Water at the Bayou Terrebonne Floodgate in Montegut was at 6 feet, and 3-foot tides were recorded at the Little Caillou floodgate.Terrebonne only experienced limited flooding in Pointe-aux-Chenes, Isle de Jean Charles and in some low-lying parts of Dulac and Dularge.The track of the storm also made a difference, Dupre said. The eye remaining over Terrebonne so long gave a chance for pumps to catch up to the rain. Just about 3 to 5 inches of rain fell over Terrebonne over the past few days, said Terrebonne Parish spokesman Doug Bourg.In addition, the storm's north winds pushed waters out of Terrebonne's bayous and bays before the storm, allowing levee district officials to keep floodgates open Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning to let water drain. By the time the storm passed and winds began blowing from the south and pushing water up into Terrebonne, there was a lot more reservoir capacity to hold surge.“The unique path of the storm is what led to our situation,” Dupre said. “With a tropical storm or a minor hurricane you're better off with a direct hit. If this had been a direct hit on Morgan City, all bets would be off, and we could have had 12 feet of water.”In Lafourche, parish officials were still battling the effects of Isaac into Friday.Public Works Director Kerry Babin estimated about 18-20 inches of rain fell this week, and the challenges were much greater.“The challenge we have been facing is that we've gone a couple of months with regular heavy rainfall, so all the rains have immediately become runoff,” Babin said. “Couple that with rising tides from surge and the winds, and it's a mix of all the bad things that could have happened at one time.”South Lafourche took some of the highest surge in the area at about 7 feet.Though the event didn't result in hundreds of flooded or damaged homes, South Lafourche Levee Director Windell Curole said he had a hard time categorizing the damage as “minimal.”“We still have thousands of people without power. We have people with roof damage, and with the wind blowing that long, we had a lot of people working in very unsafe conditions,” Curole said.In addition, because the storm made landfall at Port Fourchon, erosion to the beach and to Grand Isle will be “tremendous,” Curole said.Levees in Choupic, Bayou Bouef and Kraemer and a bulkhead in Des Allemands had to be sandbagged overnight Thursday when waters began to rise. Babin said the sandbags were a precaution and water levels were dropping Friday.But parish officials will be keeping an eye on water levels through the weekend as flooding drains through Lafourche from Isaac-soaked communities up north.Water was still high outside the Larose and Golden Meadow floodgates, and the bayou remained closed to boat traffic through Friday. In addition, the levee district was still battling flooding inside the system as Bayou Lafourche was 1 1/2 feet higher than normal conditions. “The storm was a very, very large, slow-moving storm,” said Thibodaux Emergency Operations Director Tom Simons. “It wasn't a storm where you could predict where it was going and how long it would be there.”Though exhausted by the week-long, still-ongoing flood fight, Lafourche Parish officials said cooperation between the parish, law enforcement, city government and residents made things go more smoothly. Residents obeyed the curfew, which made things safer during the storm and made cleanup go easier afterward.“Our employees gave a historic effort,” Babin said. “Now we're hoping for a break in the rain and maybe a cold front.”

Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.