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