TS Karen provides ‘drill’ for storm preparations

La. shrimp red-flagged
October 9, 2013
Newspapers dying? No way!
October 9, 2013
La. shrimp red-flagged
October 9, 2013
Newspapers dying? No way!
October 9, 2013

Tropical Storm Karen dissipated over the weekend prior to making landfall, but her threatening disposition on Friday prompted local leaders to take precautionary action.

Lafourche and Terrebonne parish officials unwound the early stages of tropical-weather plans that previously went untouched in 2013. Residents were asked to leave southern areas in both parishes, Terrebonne’s newly installed floodgate swung into place for the first time, a shelter was opened in Lafourche and sandbags were made available to residents.


“Just as we anticipated, no emergencies occurred,” Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet said. “This was just a little drill for us … I thought (the preparations) went absolutely wonderful.”

Dedicated almost a month ago, the $52 million Bubba Dove Floodgate, 270 feet long and 60 feet wide, was for the first time moved into its position spanning the Houma Navigation Canal, which links the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway with the Gulf of Mexico. Two million gallons of water were used to sink the structure.

Reggie Dupre, director of the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District, pointed out that, in total, eight floodgates in Terrebonne Parish were closed in anticipation of Karen.


“This was the first time that all eight of our existing floodgates were closed simultaneously,” Dupre said. The system began closing Thursday night and continued through Friday evening after officials got word that Karen would be closest to the parish at 7 a.m. Saturday morning.

Dupre said that because Karen was a “minimal event, we actually had a very good test of the entire system.” The closing of the gates was done without major issues, and it took only eight hours to reopen.

“When considering when to close and open these floodgates, you have to consider flood protection as well as the design parameters of the gates, winds, velocities of water, safety of your employees and the impacts on commerce,” Dupre said. “When you’re closing the Houma Navigation Canal, the analogy would be, it’s like shutting down a major interstate highway.”


In addition to the tropical storm-force winds and rains anticipated as of Friday, leaders were concerned Karen could surge tidal water into the low-lying areas of the two parishes.

At that time, the National Weather Service was predicting winds between 25 and 35 mph and up to 3 inches of rain over a 24-hour span in portions of Lafourche and Terrebonne.

LAFOURCHE PARISH


Parish President Charlotte Randolph declared a state of emergency on Friday and a mandatory evacuation south of Lafourche’s ring levee system, effective that afternoon. Because the segment of La. Highway 1 stretching from Golden Meadow to Leeville is particularly vulnerable to high tides, officials were concerned with access in and out of the unprotected area.

The Raceland Recreation Center opened Friday evening as a shelter of last resort. One person took refuge at the shelter, parish spokeswoman Loralei Gilliam said.

The floodgate in Larose and lock in Golden Meadow were closed over the weekend by the South Lafourche Levee District. Additionally, parish government closed the Valentine pontoon bridge to vehicular traffic.


Pump stations were on stand-by, readied with fuel, but none were activated as a result of Karen, according to Public Works Director Don Edwards.

Sandbags were distributed, Gilliam said, but the precise amount was unknown.

South Lafourche High School’s football game was postponed until Monday, and the school’s homecoming dance was rescheduled.


Attempts to reach Randolph for comment were unsuccessful.

TERREBONNE PARISH

Terrebonne Parish leaders called for a voluntary evacuation along the southern-most bayous, primarily “to alert people that they should be aware,” Claudet said.


As in Lafourche, the evacuation request was lifted on Sunday.

Claudet did not declare a state of emergency.

A “skeleton crew” of parish employees worked the weekend, taking calls from residents and surveying the conditions, Claudet said


A few streets – Bayou Sale Road, Falgout Canal Road and Island Road, among them – were inundated with water, but that’s not out of the ordinary for those areas, Claudet said. Sandbags were made available to parish residents.

The Houma Main Street program cancelled its second-annual Chili Cook-Off, scheduled for 6 p.m., Saturday. Anne Picou, the program’s manager, said the cook-off would likely be rescheduled for some time in 2014 when there isn’t a conflict with another event. “You don’t want to step on anyone’s pre-existing events,” she said.