Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Do You Netflix?
If you have Netflix you can watch the first season of Swamp People instantly from your TV(if you have an approved game system or DVD player with streaming capabilities) or on your computer. Just saw it on my Netflix and wanted to share. So if you missed any of the first season you can watch it now!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Tune in tonight!
Tonight is another new episode of Swamp People. don't miss it!
Tune into the History Channel at 8/7c for a re-run of last weeks episode Deadly Skies.
As a severe storm nears Southern Louisiana, the hunters are preparing for the worst. With his sharpshooter Liz still recovering from an injury, Troy and Jacob pit themselves against the gnarly weather. Troy uses an old Cajun strategy, employing a special bait to lure the gators despite the storm. Joe and Tommy are not on the same page. Tommy is looking forward to a day off, but Joe has a different work ethic. Joe is determined to run their lines in any weather, and despite protests, he drags Tommy along with him. R.J. and Jay Paul hunt in territory close to the Gulf--which means the winds are blowing even stronger. But Jay Paul isn't worried. Native Americans put a lot of stock in their dreams...and Jay Paul dreamed about catching a large gator in the storm. While the rest of the swampers head to their lines, Junior and Willie are taking theirs down. Junior is on pace to tag out in time, and he doesn't believe that fighting the storm is worth the money or effort.
And stay tuned afterwards for the newest episode Rising Sons at 9/8c... Come back and share your thoughts on tonights newest episode.
Choot em'!
Tune into the History Channel at 8/7c for a re-run of last weeks episode Deadly Skies.
As a severe storm nears Southern Louisiana, the hunters are preparing for the worst. With his sharpshooter Liz still recovering from an injury, Troy and Jacob pit themselves against the gnarly weather. Troy uses an old Cajun strategy, employing a special bait to lure the gators despite the storm. Joe and Tommy are not on the same page. Tommy is looking forward to a day off, but Joe has a different work ethic. Joe is determined to run their lines in any weather, and despite protests, he drags Tommy along with him. R.J. and Jay Paul hunt in territory close to the Gulf--which means the winds are blowing even stronger. But Jay Paul isn't worried. Native Americans put a lot of stock in their dreams...and Jay Paul dreamed about catching a large gator in the storm. While the rest of the swampers head to their lines, Junior and Willie are taking theirs down. Junior is on pace to tag out in time, and he doesn't believe that fighting the storm is worth the money or effort.
And stay tuned afterwards for the newest episode Rising Sons at 9/8c... Come back and share your thoughts on tonights newest episode.
Choot em'!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Mississippi River Floodgate to Open, Inundating Cajun Area.
Louisiana’s Morganza floodway will be opened today at 3 p.m., local time, sending torrents of brown water from the Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya River basin, a move designed to spare Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
The corps expects to release 150,000 cubic feet per second from the Morganza, which is 310 river miles above New Orleans. The spillway, built in 1954 and not opened since 1973, can release 600,000 cubic feet of water per second at maximum capacity. It may send enough water to fill a football field 10 feet deep every second across the heart of what is known as Cajun country, eventually filling an area almost as large as Connecticut.
About 2,500 people and 2,000 structures are within the spillway and another 22,500 and 11,000 buildings are vulnerable when the waters rise, according to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Inside the threatened area are 2,264 wells that each day produce 19,278 barrels of crude oil, about 10 percent of Louisiana’s onshore total, and 252.6 million cubic feet of natural gas, according to the state.
The water flow “is putting tremendous stress on the entire system,” said Major General Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission. “I directed the commander to open those bays today.”
Earlier today the river’s flow reached 1.5 million cubic feet per second at Louisiana’s Red River Landing, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement.
Opened Gradually
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said yesterday that the Morganza would be opened gradually and wouldn’t result in a wall of water running the length of the state to Morgan City, 70 miles west of New Orleans, where the Atchafalaya empties into the Gulf of Mexico. He stressed the need for residents to move quickly.
“Now is the time to take action,” Jindal said at a press conference. “We wanted to give people as much advance notice as we can.”
An estimated 15,000 acres of farmland will be initially underwater in the south-central part of Louisiana along the Mississippi River as the water flows 100 miles toward Morgan City and into the Gulf of Mexico, said Kyle McCann, a spokesman at Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation. The water will take about three days to reach the Gulf.
The Mississippi River flooded Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM)’s river docks at its refinery in Baton Rouge, Kevin Allexon, a company spokesman said. The plant, second-largest in the U.S. after Exxon’s refinery in Baytown, Texas, remains in production and can process 525,000 barrels of oil a day, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Door-to-Door
National Guard troops and local sheriffs are going door-to- door in the affected areas warning residents to flee, Jindal said. It would take the water three days to travel the length of the floodway from Morganza to Morgan City.
A voluntary evacuation notice has been issued for Melville, Krotz Springs and Three Mile Lake, according to the St. Landry Parish government.
“We are building earthen, sandbag and Hesco basket levees in Amelia,” said Paul Naquin, St. Mary Parish president, based in Franklin, Louisiana. “In five days we should be OK. We are working 24 hours a day trying to beat the clock.”
A Hesco basket is a container that can be filled with dirt to build a temporary levee.
Naquin said there is also a plan to sink a barge in a bayou to slow down the rising water.
For weeks, the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, swollen by heavy rain and melted snow, have been inundating cities and towns, flooding cropland and disrupting shipping. The Ohio rose to a record 61.72 feet (18.8 meters) in Cairo, Illinois, before joining the Mississippi there.
River System
The flooding in Tennessee has affected 650,000 acres of cropland in the western part of the state, including 86,000 acres of wheat, said Lee Maddox, a spokesman for the Tennessee Farm Bureau, citing numbers from the state’s farm service agency, a unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Farmers were just getting ready to harvest the wheat, and it’s probably destroyed now, Maddox said.
The Mississippi River system was engineered to absorb a major flood while maintaining flow rates through Baton Rouge and New Orleans to ensure the integrity of levees, according to the corps. The corps wants to limit flow to 1.5 million cubic feet per second at Baton Rouge and 1.25 million at New Orleans, said Ken Holder, a spokesman.
When the river flows exceed that, the system is designed to have water diverted elsewhere by using the Morganza or the Bonnet Carre spillway outside New Orleans, he said.
Opening the Morganza may lower the river’s crest in Baton Rouge by as little as a foot, said Bryan Harmon, the city’s deputy public works director.
By: Brian K. Sullivan and Leela Landress of the Bloomberg News
The corps expects to release 150,000 cubic feet per second from the Morganza, which is 310 river miles above New Orleans. The spillway, built in 1954 and not opened since 1973, can release 600,000 cubic feet of water per second at maximum capacity. It may send enough water to fill a football field 10 feet deep every second across the heart of what is known as Cajun country, eventually filling an area almost as large as Connecticut.
About 2,500 people and 2,000 structures are within the spillway and another 22,500 and 11,000 buildings are vulnerable when the waters rise, according to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Inside the threatened area are 2,264 wells that each day produce 19,278 barrels of crude oil, about 10 percent of Louisiana’s onshore total, and 252.6 million cubic feet of natural gas, according to the state.
The water flow “is putting tremendous stress on the entire system,” said Major General Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission. “I directed the commander to open those bays today.”
Earlier today the river’s flow reached 1.5 million cubic feet per second at Louisiana’s Red River Landing, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement.
Opened Gradually
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said yesterday that the Morganza would be opened gradually and wouldn’t result in a wall of water running the length of the state to Morgan City, 70 miles west of New Orleans, where the Atchafalaya empties into the Gulf of Mexico. He stressed the need for residents to move quickly.
“Now is the time to take action,” Jindal said at a press conference. “We wanted to give people as much advance notice as we can.”
An estimated 15,000 acres of farmland will be initially underwater in the south-central part of Louisiana along the Mississippi River as the water flows 100 miles toward Morgan City and into the Gulf of Mexico, said Kyle McCann, a spokesman at Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation. The water will take about three days to reach the Gulf.
The Mississippi River flooded Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM)’s river docks at its refinery in Baton Rouge, Kevin Allexon, a company spokesman said. The plant, second-largest in the U.S. after Exxon’s refinery in Baytown, Texas, remains in production and can process 525,000 barrels of oil a day, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Door-to-Door
National Guard troops and local sheriffs are going door-to- door in the affected areas warning residents to flee, Jindal said. It would take the water three days to travel the length of the floodway from Morganza to Morgan City.
A voluntary evacuation notice has been issued for Melville, Krotz Springs and Three Mile Lake, according to the St. Landry Parish government.
“We are building earthen, sandbag and Hesco basket levees in Amelia,” said Paul Naquin, St. Mary Parish president, based in Franklin, Louisiana. “In five days we should be OK. We are working 24 hours a day trying to beat the clock.”
A Hesco basket is a container that can be filled with dirt to build a temporary levee.
Naquin said there is also a plan to sink a barge in a bayou to slow down the rising water.
For weeks, the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, swollen by heavy rain and melted snow, have been inundating cities and towns, flooding cropland and disrupting shipping. The Ohio rose to a record 61.72 feet (18.8 meters) in Cairo, Illinois, before joining the Mississippi there.
River System
The flooding in Tennessee has affected 650,000 acres of cropland in the western part of the state, including 86,000 acres of wheat, said Lee Maddox, a spokesman for the Tennessee Farm Bureau, citing numbers from the state’s farm service agency, a unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Farmers were just getting ready to harvest the wheat, and it’s probably destroyed now, Maddox said.
The Mississippi River system was engineered to absorb a major flood while maintaining flow rates through Baton Rouge and New Orleans to ensure the integrity of levees, according to the corps. The corps wants to limit flow to 1.5 million cubic feet per second at Baton Rouge and 1.25 million at New Orleans, said Ken Holder, a spokesman.
When the river flows exceed that, the system is designed to have water diverted elsewhere by using the Morganza or the Bonnet Carre spillway outside New Orleans, he said.
Opening the Morganza may lower the river’s crest in Baton Rouge by as little as a foot, said Bryan Harmon, the city’s deputy public works director.
By: Brian K. Sullivan and Leela Landress of the Bloomberg News
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
A Glimpse of What's to Come in Tomorrow's Episode- Deadly Skies
We don't want to miss tomorrows episode. This one sounds like something not to be missed. Don't forget to tune in tomorrow night at 9/8c on the History Channel.
Here's a snippet of tomorrow's episode.
DEADLY SKIES:
As a severe storm nears Southern Louisiana, the hunters are preparing for the worst. With his sharpshooter Liz still recovering from an injury, Troy and Jacob pit themselves against the gnarly weather. Troy uses an old Cajun strategy, employing a special bait to lure the gators despite the storm. Joe and Tommy are not on the same page. Tommy is looking forward to a day off, but Joe has a different work ethic. Joe is determined to run their lines in any weather, and despite protests, he drags Tommy along with him. R.J. and Jay Paul hunt in territory close to the Gulf--which means the winds are blowing even stronger. But Jay Paul isn't worried. Native Americans put a lot of stock in their dreams...and Jay Paul dreamed about catching a large gator in the storm. While the rest of the swampers head to their lines, Junior and Willie are taking theirs down. Junior is on pace to tag out in time, and he doesn't believe that fighting the storm is worth the money or effort.
Here's a snippet of tomorrow's episode.
DEADLY SKIES:
As a severe storm nears Southern Louisiana, the hunters are preparing for the worst. With his sharpshooter Liz still recovering from an injury, Troy and Jacob pit themselves against the gnarly weather. Troy uses an old Cajun strategy, employing a special bait to lure the gators despite the storm. Joe and Tommy are not on the same page. Tommy is looking forward to a day off, but Joe has a different work ethic. Joe is determined to run their lines in any weather, and despite protests, he drags Tommy along with him. R.J. and Jay Paul hunt in territory close to the Gulf--which means the winds are blowing even stronger. But Jay Paul isn't worried. Native Americans put a lot of stock in their dreams...and Jay Paul dreamed about catching a large gator in the storm. While the rest of the swampers head to their lines, Junior and Willie are taking theirs down. Junior is on pace to tag out in time, and he doesn't believe that fighting the storm is worth the money or effort.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Miss Season 1?
If you missed season one you are in luck because the whole season is on DVD and for a very reasonable price. I had to share because you shouldn't have to miss a single episode of this great reality series. ENJOY!
Terral Evans- Local Celebrity
To all the Terral Evans fan's out there you can learn more about him and the story behind his swamping career. You can even get some gear such as shirts, posters, calendars, photographs and even a Cajun cookbook off Terral Evans Website.
NO GUTS NO GATORS!
Flooding in New Orleans....
I hope this won't effect the alligator population for the nearing season in September for the local alligator hunters and the ones who hunt in the Atchafalya River basin.
Mississippi River flooding in New Orleans area could be massive if Morganza spillway stays closed
The Times-Picayune By Mark Schleifstein
If the Morganza Floodway is not opened to funnel 300,000 cubic feet per second of water from the Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya River basin, the additional water could cause levees to fail along the river from Morganza to Plaquemines Parish, including all of the New Orleans area, resulting in as much as 25 feet of floodwater, according to a map provided to state officials by the Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday.
More Bonnet Carre Spillway bays opened Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Enlarge Brett Duke, The Times-Picayune BRETT DUKE / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Mississippi River water pours through the Bonnet Carre Spillway structure in Norco Tuesday, May 10, 2011. The spillway diverts water from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain. Aerials over the Mississippi River and Bonnet Carre Spillway Tuesday, May 10, 2011 gallery (21 photos)
* More Bonnet Carre Spillway bays opened Tuesday, May 10, 2011
* More Bonnet Carre Spillway bays opened Tuesday, May 10, 2011
* More Bonnet Carre Spillway bays opened Tuesday, May 10, 2011
* More Bonnet Carre Spillway bays opened Tuesday, May 10, 2011
* More Bonnet Carre Spillway bays opened Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The worst-case scenario obtained by The Times-Picayune is part of the risk assessment conducted this week by corps officials in support of opening the floodway. The combination of water from the floodway and from the Old River Control Structure just upriver of Morganza pouring into the Atchafalaya basin will flood a large swath of mostly unpopulated land.
It will also threaten Morgan City, Houma and several smaller communities.
Ironically, much of the Atchafalaya Basin would still flood if the spillway is not opened, according to the new map, because the Old River Control Structure will be sending twice as much water from the Mississippi into the basin as it normally does. Meanwhile, the river will still overtop the relatively low Morganza floodway structure even if it's not opened, and several other levee failures could occur between Morganza and Baton Rouge.
chart-morganza-051111.jpgView full size
Corps Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission and commander of all corps districts along the river, has strongly hinted that he will approve opening the Morganza Floodway sometime between Friday and Tuesday. That's when the rate of water moving past Red River Landing, across from the Louisiana State Prison at Angola, will reach 1.5 million cubic feet per second, which is the official trigger for opening the spillway.
During a news conference in Baton Rouge, Gov. Bobby Jindal said he expects Walsh to order the opening of the spillway. He urged residents in affected areas to prepare for evacuations if called for by their local elected leaders.
High Water
Enlarge John McCusker, The Times-Picayune John McCusker/The Times-Picayune The high water on the Mississippi River around New Orleans inspires many different reactions and activities Tuesday, May 10, 2011. Raymond Cooper caught this giant catfish while fishing the flooded batture. Mississippi River in New Orleans gallery (13 photos)
* High Water
* High Water
* High Water
* High Water
* High Water
"Based on various inundation maps, you're looking at roughly 3 million acres that will be impacted, be underwater," when the floodway opens, Jindal said. "That includes about 18,000 acres of cropland just within the Atchafalaya basin."
According to census data, about 2,500 people inside the floodway, including residents of Melville, Butte Larose and Krotz Springs, could be surrounded by water, and another 22,500 people and 11,000 structures will be affected by some flooding, Jindal said.
Jindal said it will take about three days from the opening of the floodway until the first water from Morganza reaches Morgan City, which already is experiencing high water from the Old River Control Structure.
Serious flooding also is expected in parts of northern Louisiana as rivers and streams that normally flow unimpeded into the Mississippi have begun to back up. No rivers or streams enter the Mississippi in south Louisiana.
Too close for comfort
The National Weather Service has predicted that at its crest, 1.9 million cubic feet per second of water will flow past the Red River Landing if the floodway is not opened.
That would result in a crest of 19.5 feet at the Carrollton Gauge in New Orleans, which is 2.5 feet above official flood stage and just 6 inches below the top of floodwalls.
map2-morganza-051111.jpgView full size
The new corps map assumes that such a high water level could result in multiple failures of earthen levees, floodwalls or other structures along the river, said Walter Baumy, chief of engineering for the corps' New Orleans office.
The record high water levels also would cause a dramatic disruption to business in the Port of New Orleans and elsewhere along the river in the New Orleans area, said Bob Turner, executive director of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East.
"With a stage at Carrollton of 19.5 feet, we would have to close most of the floodgates along the Mississippi River levee within our jurisdiction," he said. "The port, Public Belt Railroad, recreational areas like the Audubon Aquarium and the Butterfly Park would have to close."
More significant, though, would be the unknown effects on the levees, Turner said.
"We have a good bit of experience dealing with seepage and sand boils, saturated soil conditions when the river stages are around 17 feet," he said. "Once the river gets over 17.5 feet, I don't know that we've got a lot of experience dealing with those same issues. Seepage and sand boils, that uncertainty gives us some concern. My gut is if it gets higher, it's going to be more difficult to keep those things under control."
Even if the river doesn't go much over 17 feet at New Orleans, a level reached at noon Tuesday, levee officials will be keeping careful watch when the river begins to drop, now not expected until mid-June, Turner said.
"If the river begins to fall rapidly, we could have incidents where saturated levees slide into the river," he said.
Laying bare the risks
Baumy emphasized that the no-Morganza map was not designed with the public in mind, but rather to help corps engineers plan better.
"The maps were done in a day or two, as we were trying to assess risk to show, here's the options on the table and here's some things to think about," he said.
For instance, while the color code on the map shows the possibility of 20 to 25 feet of water occurring from Kenner through New Orleans if levees were to fail, elevations vary dramatically within that area.
And while the map indicates flooding all along the east side of the river from Simmesport to New Orleans, it is not meant to indicate all of that area would be flooded, Baumy said. Rather, the colors indicate the highest water level possible if the levee were overtopped or breached in those areas. The corps would not expect all segments of the levee system to fail, he said.
State agencies already are scrambling to prepare for flooding in the Atchafalaya basin and in northern flood areas, Jindal said, saying 500 additional National Guard troops have been deployed.
The National Guard has set up liaison teams in 19 parishes and assigned troops to work with corps teams and the Coast Guard.
The state also is rounding up thousands of feet of Hesco basket, fiber and metal baskets that are filled with rock and dirt to create temporary levees.
Evacuation guidelines
Spillway fly over Tuesday, May 10, 2011 Spillway fly over Tuesday, May 10, 2011 The Army Corps of Engineers opened an additional 44 bays of the Bonnet Spillway structure Tuesday, May 10, 2011 to divert water from a rapidly rising Mississippi River. The spillway was last opened in 2008 for 28 days. Watch video
Catahoula, Point Coupee and Iberia parishes have begun issuing evacuation orders from some localities, while others, including St. Landry, St. Mary, St. Martin, West Baton Rouge, Assumption and Ascension, have issued voluntary evacuation recommendations to residents and businesses in expected flood areas.
Jindal also is lobbying federal officials to upgrade their treatment of the potential flooding as a national disaster. FEMA has agreed to provide direct federal assistance to 22 parishes, but the disaster agency has not agreed to let the state bill the federal government for its costs in flood fighting.
In a Monday letter to President Barack Obama, Jindal said the state has estimated its costs for the first 30 days to be at least $80 million, including $20 million the Department of Child and Family Services will need for shelters.
Jindal also has asked the Defense Department to reimburse the state for National Guard mobilization because the Morganza Floodway is part of the national floodway system.
Agriculture & Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain also asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday to consider the floodway opening to be a natural disaster, which would make farmers eligible for federal assistance.
Meanwhile, at Montz, an additional 44 bays of the Bonnet Carre Spillway were opened Tuesday, increasing the number of bays opened to 72. The spillway has 350 bays.
The action will increase the flow of water to about 70,000 cubic feet per second, according to spillway manager Chris Brantley. Another 38 bays could be opened today.
When fully open, the spillway diverts 250,000 cubic feet of water per second into Lake Pontchartrain.
Mississippi River flooding in New Orleans area could be massive if Morganza spillway stays closed
The Times-Picayune By Mark Schleifstein
If the Morganza Floodway is not opened to funnel 300,000 cubic feet per second of water from the Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya River basin, the additional water could cause levees to fail along the river from Morganza to Plaquemines Parish, including all of the New Orleans area, resulting in as much as 25 feet of floodwater, according to a map provided to state officials by the Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday.
More Bonnet Carre Spillway bays opened Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Enlarge Brett Duke, The Times-Picayune BRETT DUKE / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Mississippi River water pours through the Bonnet Carre Spillway structure in Norco Tuesday, May 10, 2011. The spillway diverts water from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain. Aerials over the Mississippi River and Bonnet Carre Spillway Tuesday, May 10, 2011 gallery (21 photos)
* More Bonnet Carre Spillway bays opened Tuesday, May 10, 2011
* More Bonnet Carre Spillway bays opened Tuesday, May 10, 2011
* More Bonnet Carre Spillway bays opened Tuesday, May 10, 2011
* More Bonnet Carre Spillway bays opened Tuesday, May 10, 2011
* More Bonnet Carre Spillway bays opened Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The worst-case scenario obtained by The Times-Picayune is part of the risk assessment conducted this week by corps officials in support of opening the floodway. The combination of water from the floodway and from the Old River Control Structure just upriver of Morganza pouring into the Atchafalaya basin will flood a large swath of mostly unpopulated land.
It will also threaten Morgan City, Houma and several smaller communities.
Ironically, much of the Atchafalaya Basin would still flood if the spillway is not opened, according to the new map, because the Old River Control Structure will be sending twice as much water from the Mississippi into the basin as it normally does. Meanwhile, the river will still overtop the relatively low Morganza floodway structure even if it's not opened, and several other levee failures could occur between Morganza and Baton Rouge.
chart-morganza-051111.jpgView full size
Corps Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission and commander of all corps districts along the river, has strongly hinted that he will approve opening the Morganza Floodway sometime between Friday and Tuesday. That's when the rate of water moving past Red River Landing, across from the Louisiana State Prison at Angola, will reach 1.5 million cubic feet per second, which is the official trigger for opening the spillway.
During a news conference in Baton Rouge, Gov. Bobby Jindal said he expects Walsh to order the opening of the spillway. He urged residents in affected areas to prepare for evacuations if called for by their local elected leaders.
High Water
Enlarge John McCusker, The Times-Picayune John McCusker/The Times-Picayune The high water on the Mississippi River around New Orleans inspires many different reactions and activities Tuesday, May 10, 2011. Raymond Cooper caught this giant catfish while fishing the flooded batture. Mississippi River in New Orleans gallery (13 photos)
* High Water
* High Water
* High Water
* High Water
* High Water
"Based on various inundation maps, you're looking at roughly 3 million acres that will be impacted, be underwater," when the floodway opens, Jindal said. "That includes about 18,000 acres of cropland just within the Atchafalaya basin."
According to census data, about 2,500 people inside the floodway, including residents of Melville, Butte Larose and Krotz Springs, could be surrounded by water, and another 22,500 people and 11,000 structures will be affected by some flooding, Jindal said.
Jindal said it will take about three days from the opening of the floodway until the first water from Morganza reaches Morgan City, which already is experiencing high water from the Old River Control Structure.
Serious flooding also is expected in parts of northern Louisiana as rivers and streams that normally flow unimpeded into the Mississippi have begun to back up. No rivers or streams enter the Mississippi in south Louisiana.
Too close for comfort
The National Weather Service has predicted that at its crest, 1.9 million cubic feet per second of water will flow past the Red River Landing if the floodway is not opened.
That would result in a crest of 19.5 feet at the Carrollton Gauge in New Orleans, which is 2.5 feet above official flood stage and just 6 inches below the top of floodwalls.
map2-morganza-051111.jpgView full size
The new corps map assumes that such a high water level could result in multiple failures of earthen levees, floodwalls or other structures along the river, said Walter Baumy, chief of engineering for the corps' New Orleans office.
The record high water levels also would cause a dramatic disruption to business in the Port of New Orleans and elsewhere along the river in the New Orleans area, said Bob Turner, executive director of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East.
"With a stage at Carrollton of 19.5 feet, we would have to close most of the floodgates along the Mississippi River levee within our jurisdiction," he said. "The port, Public Belt Railroad, recreational areas like the Audubon Aquarium and the Butterfly Park would have to close."
More significant, though, would be the unknown effects on the levees, Turner said.
"We have a good bit of experience dealing with seepage and sand boils, saturated soil conditions when the river stages are around 17 feet," he said. "Once the river gets over 17.5 feet, I don't know that we've got a lot of experience dealing with those same issues. Seepage and sand boils, that uncertainty gives us some concern. My gut is if it gets higher, it's going to be more difficult to keep those things under control."
Even if the river doesn't go much over 17 feet at New Orleans, a level reached at noon Tuesday, levee officials will be keeping careful watch when the river begins to drop, now not expected until mid-June, Turner said.
"If the river begins to fall rapidly, we could have incidents where saturated levees slide into the river," he said.
Laying bare the risks
Baumy emphasized that the no-Morganza map was not designed with the public in mind, but rather to help corps engineers plan better.
"The maps were done in a day or two, as we were trying to assess risk to show, here's the options on the table and here's some things to think about," he said.
For instance, while the color code on the map shows the possibility of 20 to 25 feet of water occurring from Kenner through New Orleans if levees were to fail, elevations vary dramatically within that area.
And while the map indicates flooding all along the east side of the river from Simmesport to New Orleans, it is not meant to indicate all of that area would be flooded, Baumy said. Rather, the colors indicate the highest water level possible if the levee were overtopped or breached in those areas. The corps would not expect all segments of the levee system to fail, he said.
State agencies already are scrambling to prepare for flooding in the Atchafalaya basin and in northern flood areas, Jindal said, saying 500 additional National Guard troops have been deployed.
The National Guard has set up liaison teams in 19 parishes and assigned troops to work with corps teams and the Coast Guard.
The state also is rounding up thousands of feet of Hesco basket, fiber and metal baskets that are filled with rock and dirt to create temporary levees.
Evacuation guidelines
Spillway fly over Tuesday, May 10, 2011 Spillway fly over Tuesday, May 10, 2011 The Army Corps of Engineers opened an additional 44 bays of the Bonnet Spillway structure Tuesday, May 10, 2011 to divert water from a rapidly rising Mississippi River. The spillway was last opened in 2008 for 28 days. Watch video
Catahoula, Point Coupee and Iberia parishes have begun issuing evacuation orders from some localities, while others, including St. Landry, St. Mary, St. Martin, West Baton Rouge, Assumption and Ascension, have issued voluntary evacuation recommendations to residents and businesses in expected flood areas.
Jindal also is lobbying federal officials to upgrade their treatment of the potential flooding as a national disaster. FEMA has agreed to provide direct federal assistance to 22 parishes, but the disaster agency has not agreed to let the state bill the federal government for its costs in flood fighting.
In a Monday letter to President Barack Obama, Jindal said the state has estimated its costs for the first 30 days to be at least $80 million, including $20 million the Department of Child and Family Services will need for shelters.
Jindal also has asked the Defense Department to reimburse the state for National Guard mobilization because the Morganza Floodway is part of the national floodway system.
Agriculture & Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain also asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday to consider the floodway opening to be a natural disaster, which would make farmers eligible for federal assistance.
Meanwhile, at Montz, an additional 44 bays of the Bonnet Carre Spillway were opened Tuesday, increasing the number of bays opened to 72. The spillway has 350 bays.
The action will increase the flow of water to about 70,000 cubic feet per second, according to spillway manager Chris Brantley. Another 38 bays could be opened today.
When fully open, the spillway diverts 250,000 cubic feet of water per second into Lake Pontchartrain.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
For all the ones who missed tonights episode....
If you missed tonight's episode don't fret it will be available on HistoryChannel.com tomorrow. Here is a short summary of tonight's episode.
"After a rough start to the season, Troy is back in the groove, and on pace to fill his 320 tags. His new sharpshooter Liz has been a large part of his success. But on the swamp, things can change in a heartbeat. During a capture, Liz is injured...and Troy's momentum is suddenly in doubt. Bruce has always hunted solo in the swamp. That's the way he likes it. But today, he's not alone because he's hired a greenhorn named Nick, a local kid who wants learn the craft from a master. But, learning gator hunting isn't easy, and before long, the kid makes a mistake that could cost Bruce his season. So far, Joe and Tommy have had ups and downs this season. However, when the duo comes up against a massive cannibal, the team gels in its pursuit of the aggressive monster. Deep in the swamp, the Guist Brothers are busy making ends meet. With the food supply low, rabbit is on the menu. The brothers set out on the hunt, but they don't have a hunting dog. Glenn decides to take the job."
If you were one of the lucky ones to watch tonight post what you though of the episode and share with others why you enjoy watching the Swamp People hard at work on the dirty swamp waters of Louisiana.
"After a rough start to the season, Troy is back in the groove, and on pace to fill his 320 tags. His new sharpshooter Liz has been a large part of his success. But on the swamp, things can change in a heartbeat. During a capture, Liz is injured...and Troy's momentum is suddenly in doubt. Bruce has always hunted solo in the swamp. That's the way he likes it. But today, he's not alone because he's hired a greenhorn named Nick, a local kid who wants learn the craft from a master. But, learning gator hunting isn't easy, and before long, the kid makes a mistake that could cost Bruce his season. So far, Joe and Tommy have had ups and downs this season. However, when the duo comes up against a massive cannibal, the team gels in its pursuit of the aggressive monster. Deep in the swamp, the Guist Brothers are busy making ends meet. With the food supply low, rabbit is on the menu. The brothers set out on the hunt, but they don't have a hunting dog. Glenn decides to take the job."
If you were one of the lucky ones to watch tonight post what you though of the episode and share with others why you enjoy watching the Swamp People hard at work on the dirty swamp waters of Louisiana.
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