Flooding - It time to compare some place before and during

This first shot is the view from my house looking through the open Seawall gate on May 9,2011.  The next shot is taken from the other side that same gate today.  They closed this gate, the last one in Morgan City, about two days ago.  As you can see the water has started to rise.  This link will take you a series of stills and videos I took a few minutes ago.  I was not able to get to down to Mike Grubb's home, it was a bit further and deeper than I wanted to walk today.



May 9, 2011 view from my street west
through the seawall.



View  May 22, 2011 for unprotected side of the closed
gate from previous photograph (left)













This video may give you some indication of the speed of the water as it makes a min-rapids coming over the curb of the street.  The water seems to be rising about 1/2' per day and is expected to crest at 10.5' to 11' on May 29 somewhat lower than the expected 13.5' to 15' some hand predicted earlier. 

 

Today I did find some interested things about the Seawall today.  Apparently is has several cracks.  They are not very large and may or may not pose any real threat but it is a bit disconcerting when your primary protection wall has cracks in it.  I found four cracks today without trying very hard.  These cracks are located in the wall on which was standing to take two pictures above.
       Even with cracks it is better than the alternative. If the Seawall did not exist then the water would be at my wife's waist where she is standing now.  It is expected to reach her eyes or higher.  We will have to wait and see how all this works out.



I have received reports, abet second hand, the the barge blocking the water in Bayou Chene is working and the water has dropped some in Stephensville, a small town north of Morgan City, that is threatened by backwater flooding.

Okay, it is time to load the pictures from May 15th thru 19th.  I will try to scale the wall tomorrow and get some daylight pictures from unprotected side of the seawall and levee.  They closed the last gate in Morgan City today, which near my house today. :(

May 15, 2011

May 16, 2011

May 18, 2011

May 19, 2011

Morgan City river banks are somewhat higher than the normal river levels.  It takes a flood stage of 4.5' to actually overflow the river banks.  Here at the Front Street Wharf it take about 6.5' to reach the top of the wharf.  On May 19th it had reached a flood stage of 8' which covers the wharf, with a prediction to reach 11' by Tuesday - Wedesday of next week.

Flood Picture - Pre Morganza Controls being opened

I have been remiss in my posting of images or comments about the changes in river levels at Morgan City.  I just took the time to upload some images to Picasa.  My wife Evelyn and I take these picture in the evening when we walk, sorry for the low light, we never leave for our walk early enough..

Flood May 9, 2011

Flood May 10, 2011

Flood May 11, 2011

Flood of 2011

Reposted from my post on the FISPA members list on 5/9/2011

I was talking to Chuck Moffett yesterday and he mentioned that I should post something about flooding here in Louisiana. Some of you know that I work from home not in our corporate offices in New Orleans. I live (adjusted address as Google maps is screwing up addresses again) in Morgan City, Louisiana, it is located on the Atchafalaya River (Inundation Map). Morgan City is the outlet for the Morganza Spillway. (additional link) (history)

This picture (below) in outside the city protection wall (21’ tall concrete wall and steel reinforced earthen levees) on the Atchafalaya River side of the city. The river is at a flood stage of 6.5ft in the picture. Forecast is for 9.5ft without opening the Morganza Controls, last I heard if the open the Morganza they estimate level will be adjusted to 13.5ft with the controls open to 50%. This is a link to pictures as of May 8th of areas that will be effected, these look fairly normal accept for the activity of getting ready for high water. We will repost pictures of the some of the same places during the flood, assuming we can get to similar vantage points. Most likely we will have to go by boat from up river.

The primary concern for Morgan City is not directly from the Atchafalaya River but from what is called back water flooding. The is when the flow from the Atchafalaya flows back upstream via other tributaries. In this case it happens via the Bayou Chene where the “Floodways” and the “Protected” bodies of water converge. Years ago 6 foot of water in the Atchafalaya River would push 1 foot water as into the protected areas. Today 2 foot in the Atchafalaya River pushes 1 foot in to the protected areas. Current plans are to sink barges in the Bayou Chene in an effort to slow down the back flow. This will not stop the flow it will just add resistance to flow by blocking the main channel, the water will then seek the path of least resistance which hopefully will be down river. However, still a significant portion will continue to back flow over land in to the protected areas. Morgan City’s protected side levees are 8’ high, they are working to addition temporary “sandbags” to the tops of those levees, should the water exceed 8’.

History of the Atchafalaya and Mississippi Rivers.

More updates later, I have start working on get my Civil Defense passes in case the worst happens.

troy