Tuesday, May 10
May 10, 2011Thursday, May 12
May 12, 2011
Pledging his full support in the event of flooding, Gov. Bobby Jindal said Monday, “this is going to be a marathon, not a sprint.”
Addressing the media and Tri-parish officials about the status of expected flooding from the Mississippi River, the governor said pending threat is “not just a high-water event.”
“Everyone needs to also look at the volume of water and the duration of how long this water is going to last,” he said. “In speaking with the [U.S. Army] Corps of Engineers office in Vicksburg, Miss., I have found out that some of our water levels, yes, ours here in Louisiana, may not go back to normal until as last as June or July.
“It’s not going to be done in a day or two. It is going to take quite a bit of time,” Jindal said at the Morgan City Harbor & Terminal District. “This is not going to be like when you go away for a hurricane and come back in two or three days.”
The governor urged citizens to prepare now for the Morganza Spillway to open. The spillway, located just north of Baton Rouge, is expected to provide flood relief to the New Orleans area, but will likely release backwater that will inundate St. Mary, Terrebonne and portions of Lafourche parishes.
“When Morganza does open, I have been told it will be opened slowly over three days,” Jindal said. “Then, it will remain open for at least a couple of weeks.
“We’ll do everything we can to protect people and property.”
Although a request to the Pentagon for National Guard troops has been denied, the governor said he is appealing the decision. In the interim, state National Guardsmen are working along the Mississippi River in an effort to fortify levees.
Jindal said he is also seeking a full disaster declaration. “…what I got last Friday was a declaration that will allow us to ask the feds for resources.” Until the full declaration is given, residents are not eligible for property damages, he said.
“Regardless of what I get or don’t get from this administration, we are not slowing down,” the governor said. “We have to do what it takes to protect our people. Whether or not help comes, we’re going to what it takes to help our people.”
The American Red Cross has assured the state it has more than 60,000 shelter spaces available to those impacted.
“For folks that have nowhere to go, we will have meals, showers, health care and transportation available as well,” Jindal stressed.
For those forced to evacuate, the governor warned that the high water could be in place for weeks.
“You may have water in your home or business, but your friend in another parish may not have anything,” he said, suggesting able-bodied residents seek help from friends on high ground.
Jindal said he is seeking a corps document stating water will overflow Morganza to ensure the U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn’t later wrangle that any flooding caused by opening the spillway created a man-made disaster. The statement could prove crucial for farmers “because the USDA, the insurance folks, can’t come back and say that this was a man-made event,” he explained.
Joining Jindal at Monday’s press conference were U.S. Sen. David Vitter and U.S. Congressman Jeff Landry.
“Look folks, this water poses a lot of danger,” Vitter said, urging residents to keep close tabs on rising water levels and heeding warnings from state and parish officials should flood waters approach.
Morgan City was inundated with floodwater in 1975 when the Mississippi River crested at 10.53 feet. Parish officials fear the opening of the Morganza Spillway will send even higher flood levels gushing into St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes in the coming days. COURTESY PHOTO
