Latest Mississippi River Delta News: August 27, 2012
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu declares state of emergency
By Richard Rainey, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). August 27, 2012.
“With Tropical Storm Isaac expected to strengthen, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has declared a state of emergency and urged residents to begin preparing their homes as shelters through the storm. Landrieu said the storm is moving along at about 16 miles an hour, and if it stays at that pace, it could reach the city in the next 34 hours, putting it ashore late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Landrieu emphasized that there will be no shelters of last resort, so people need to be prepared to evacuate, should it come to that…” (Read more)
Don’t shortchange Louisiana’s coastal restoration: Editorial
The Times-Picayune. August 25, 2012.
“Louisiana officials and the Army Corps of Engineers are squabbling over a source of sediment that both want to use, and it’s critical that the solution doesn’t shortchange coastal restoration…” (Read more)
BP oil spill’s link to poor speckled trout season unknown
By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune. August 26, 2012.
“Sometimes nuance just doesn’t get the job done. That’s a lesson I relearned after my column two weeks ago, reporting on fears by some fishing guides that this summer’s poor speckled trout season is the result of the BP oil spill…” (Read more)
Vitter discusses RESTORE Act, coastline protection
By Jonathan Manning, The American Press (Lake Charles, La.). August 25, 2012.
“Louisiana loses a football field of coastline every 38 minutes, Sen. David Vitter said Thursday…” (Read more)
TS Isaac puts spotlight on lack of flood protection in Lafitte
WWL-TV. August 25, 2012.
“JEAN LAFITTE, La. – One hundred thousand sandbags were on standby in the town of Jean Lafitte Saturday. The vulnerable area lies outside the levee protection system, and with Tropical Storm Isaac expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, neighbors like Jan Johnson are nervous…” (Read more)
The ABC’s of the Growing Sinkhole
Emergency
Bridge the Gulf. August 24, 2012.
“On August 3rd, a nearly 400-foot wide sinkhole opened up near Bayou Corne and Grand Bayou in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, turning cypress forest into a massive slurry-filled hole. Residents have been evacuated, and officials are scrambling to identify the cause and solution to the sinkhole…” (Read more)
The Urgent Need to Transform U.S. Water Resources Infrastructure
By Rosemarie Calvert, Center for a Better Life.
“Navigation channels that support international trade and produce one-third of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), almost 14 million jobs, flood-risk reduction that prevents $22.3 billion in average annual damages, $800 million in clean hydropower, water supply storage for 55 million households and water-based recreation opportunities, which one out of every 10 Americans enjoy annually, are examples of the value the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) brings to the Nation. Unfortunately, most Americans are unaware that the country’s degraded water resources infrastructure is putting all this at risk and jeopardizing a quality of life that cannot be measured in dollars…” (Read more)