South Lafourche’s ring levee proven storm defense

Lafourche prep continues
June 10, 2015
Protectors from the storm
June 10, 2015
Lafourche prep continues
June 10, 2015
Protectors from the storm
June 10, 2015

South Lafourche Levee District General Manager Windell Curole doesn’t ever promise citizens a flood-free hurricane season.

Curole has seen too many storms over the years to know that’s not the case. He knows that such a proclamation wouldn’t be factual, nor wise, given how cruel Mother Nature’s wrath can be.


“The perfect storm will top just about any system – ours included,” Curole said. “Katrina pushed more than 20 feet of water. If we’d have taken a direct hit, we’d have gotten leveled by the surge – just like Mississippi did.”

But instead of invincibility, Curole can promise the people of southern Lafourche Parish something almost as good. He can promise that drastic improvements have been made to the community’s levee in the past decade-plus that have it higher and thicker than it has ever been. Furthermore, he can also promise that improvement efforts are continuing almost non-stop to make the giant earthen wall even more formidable during hurricane season.

South Lafourche’s ring levee system has been somewhat of a local leader in storm protection – a levee system that has protected the community’s people from storm surge flooding for all of the hurricane events in the past few decades.


With improvements funded in part by the people through sales taxes (which citizens voted to take on) and also through help from the state, Curole said the system isn’t unbeatable, but it’s a major coup to our area.

“When a storm comes, there are a lot of areas on the coast that need to be lucky to avoid flooding,” he said. “But we’re the opposite. We’re almost to the point where we need to be unlucky to flood. … You ask me, ‘Are we ready?’, and my question back to you is, ‘Ready for what?’ Every storm is different. A big, wide and massive Category 3 storm with a direct hit? That might still go over the top. But a smaller, faster moving storm that’s a Category 3? We can probably handle that one. We’re in a place where we’re protected from just about everything except the worst-case scenario, and the truth is in those scenarios, everyone’s system is vulnerable anyway.”

Over the past 12 months, Curole said there has been a lot of good news to report regarding storm protection in southern Lafourche Parish.


The general manager said work is currently ongoing on the southernmost portion of the levee in the Golden Meadow area to lift it to the highest elevations that it’s ever seen – maybe even the highest elevations in the entire parish.

“Right now, we’re getting one portion on the southern part of our system up to 18 feet high,” Curole said. “That’s the highest that we’ve ever been. That’s a huge accomplishment and a big deal. I was looking around and I know there are some 17-foot elevations in Thibodaux, but the highest piece of dirt in Lafourche Parish right now just may be that part of our levee.”

Curole said the Golden Meadow work is one of countless improvements that have been made in the past couple years. He said that in the past three years, about 50 percent of the levee has been under construction projects. Once one spot is done, the next spot is started and so-on.


“It’s non-stop,” Curole said. “We’ve done some major work.”

Curole said progress has also been made at the Leon Theriot Lock where a sheet pile wall has been lifted from 11-and-a-half feet to 16 feet, matching the wall to the height of the lock’s gates, which were already at that 16-foot clip.

The general manager also boasted that projects to regrow marsh grass have also been successful in both Lafourche and Terrebonne, which creates a natural buffer for storm surge in hurricane events.


The reason why the majority of this work has been able to be completed is because of teamwork, according to Curole.

The South Lafourche Levee District receives money from citizens, who have accepted higher sales taxes on different occasions in exchange for better storm protection.

Curole said Louisiana has also contributed to the effort, giving money to help with levee additions and protection efforts.


“We have a great system,” Lafourche Parish Councilman Daniel Lorraine said. “And we have a great system because the people voted to allow us to have a great system.”

“We couldn’t do this without our people,” Curole said. “They are our partners in this. When you vote to accept a new tax, you’re buying something – making a purchase. In this case, our people bought better protection, so we work diligently to provide them with the best that we can. That’s a job that we take very seriously.”

Of course, even with all of the work that’s been done, Curole still always points out that it may be all for naught if that perfect storm churns in the Gulf and nails us with a direct hit.


But that’s just a chance one has to take when dealing with Mother Nature.

A former prep football defensive back, Curole likened the process to a cornerback trying to defend a wide receiver.

“A perfect pass will always beat you, but if you’re in the right position as a defensive back, anything that’s not perfect will not do any harm,” he said. “That’s what we try to do. We want to only be able to be beaten by a perfect pass – that perfect storm. We keep working and keep building so that anything besides for that can keep our people safe.”


Lafourche’s ring levee has taken care of citizens for the past several decades. The structure has gotten many upgrades in the past few years, according to Windell Curole, who said the parish is as well-protected as ever.

 

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