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Hell and High Water: interesting article from 2013 on the 83 flood
Posted on 8/20/16 at 7:42 pm
Posted on 8/20/16 at 7:42 pm
Hell And High Water
quote:
The flood on the Amite and Comite rivers would become the worst on record. In Livingston Parish, 3,025 homes and businesses would flood, as would 1,615 in Baton Rouge and 828 in Ascension. The 1983 flood remains part of the lore among families who suffered its effects and among others who saw water stop mercifully at their doorsteps. Heavy rain still sends some of those people to check projected flood stages out of fear of another flood.
quote:
Conditions like those that produced the 1983 flood statistically can be expected about once every 75 years, but no one can predict when the next flood will occur, said Dietmar Rietschier, executive director of the Amite River Basin Commission.
quote:
Eventually, damage would reach $23.4 million in Ascension Parish, $65.3 million in East Baton Rouge and $83.8 million in Livingston, the final report on the flood by the corps shows.
quote:
Rick Foster, who oversees building permits in Denham Springs, said building standards put into place since 1983 won’t help older structures, but will protect new ones. “Our building standards have improved,” Foster said. “Our flood plain regulations have been strengthened.” Since 1984, buildings in Denham Springs have been constructed at or above base-flood elevation, which means they should be above a 100-year flood, Foster said.
quote:
[b]The 1983 flood brought proposals to build two major flood-reduction projects: the Darlington Reservoir and the Comite River Diversion Canal. They were designed to work together, but the reservoir hit political snags and wasn’t funded, said Rietschier, who oversees the ongoing Comite project. That $198 million project to divert floodwater from the Comite River to the Mississippi River probably would pay for itself in one flood such as that of 1983, he said. That diversion is designed to reduce 100-year flood peaks by 0.8 foot at Port Vincent and 1.2 feet at Denham Springs on the Amite River. On the Comite River, it should reduce water levels 3.8 feet at Greenwell Springs, 4.9 feet at Hooper Road and 5.5 feet at White Bayou, Rietschier said. Because of funding problems, often at the federal level, the project has fallen behind schedule and isn’t expected to be completed until 2021. It will take longer than that if the federal funding doesn’t come through as expected, Rietschier said.
Posted on 8/20/16 at 8:06 pm to fr33manator
Doesn't help when drainage plans are completely disregarded
Posted on 8/20/16 at 8:12 pm to fr33manator
When all was said and done, more was said than done.
Diverting the water and draining it prevents floods. Lip service doesn't drain anything.
Diverting the water and draining it prevents floods. Lip service doesn't drain anything.
Posted on 8/20/16 at 8:17 pm to fr33manator
Well this was a 1000 year flood so it would not have mattered much
Posted on 8/20/16 at 8:19 pm to theunknownknight
Pardon my ignorance, but does this mean if you didn't flood during this 1,000 year event, that means you'll likely never ever flood.
Posted on 8/20/16 at 8:23 pm to Paul Allen
No. Flooding can happen all sorts of ways in Louisiana unfortunately. However, if a home didn't sniff water during this flood (by several hundred feet) and is on a high elevation (and off the ground on top of that), that home would probably be safe.
This post was edited on 8/20/16 at 8:24 pm
Posted on 8/20/16 at 8:24 pm to Paul Allen
Yeah, somehow I'm not buying that we'll go another thousand years without a flood like this
Posted on 8/20/16 at 8:27 pm to theunknownknight
quote:
Well this was a 1000 year flood so it would not have mattered much
Link to rain records of August 1016?
Posted on 8/20/16 at 8:27 pm to Paul Allen
No. The rainfall distribution is never the same across 2 storms over a given watershed. Depending on where you are in the parish or area, you either got 1,000yr, 500yr, or >200yr rainfall totals. It could be distributed completely differently next time (and likely will be).
Posted on 8/20/16 at 8:35 pm to Hangit
so how many phases of the Comite have they completed?
Posted on 8/20/16 at 8:36 pm to theunknownknight
After seeing all the devastation, and homes that "weren't supposed to flood" be underwater, I'm trying to convince a few people who didn't flood this time that they still need flood insurance.
It's a hard sell, though.
Me? frick that shite, I will never be underinsured.
It's a hard sell, though.
Me? frick that shite, I will never be underinsured.
Posted on 8/20/16 at 8:51 pm to fr33manator
quote:
100-year flood peaks by 0.8 foot at Port Vincent
So it would have only been 4 feet above the 100 year flood
I like the diversion project, buthe the area in question would have still been fricked if this is all it can relieve.
This post was edited on 8/20/16 at 8:52 pm
Posted on 8/20/16 at 9:21 pm to Roscoe
quote:
so how many phases of the Comite have they completed?
I don't know that anything beyond some broad, basic plans have been done. Most of the plans have been ignored, and the dynamic of houses, farms etc. has changed since they started studying it in the 1970's.
Here is a decent article that talks about a lot of the efforts, and lack thereof.
LINK
Posted on 8/20/16 at 9:34 pm to Hangit
The outfall structure and pump station has been completed for the comite diversion. Got the chance to tour it a few years ago. They are currently building the re-route of hwy 61 so they can build the bridge across hwy 61. Funding of property acquisition, wetland and environmental issues have been the hold ups.
This post was edited on 8/20/16 at 9:35 pm
Posted on 8/20/16 at 9:40 pm to fr33manator
So the diversion canal would have lowered the Amite by only 1.2 ft? So everything still would have flooded.
Posted on 8/20/16 at 9:48 pm to LSUengr
Maybe now it will be considered important enough to fund.
Experts are guessing that this project, working with Darlington, could have seen 5-7 less feet of water in the communities that were hit the hardest.
It seems kind of cheap now.
Experts are guessing that this project, working with Darlington, could have seen 5-7 less feet of water in the communities that were hit the hardest.
It seems kind of cheap now.
Posted on 8/20/16 at 9:53 pm to fr33manator
It is interesting to read. Now that it has happened twice in 30 years it should be something that needs to be in the back of people's mind all the time. As more and more development continues, it will only increase the risk of flooding because.. Well, it comes down to mass. When more and more open area is used to put structures on, when it rains, the water has to go somewhere.
Posted on 8/20/16 at 9:58 pm to fr33manator
quote:
Comite diversion canal
Serious question: since Bayou Manchac once naturally connected the Amite River to the Mississippi River (pre-levee), why would we not consider doing a similar reverse-flow canal structure on this waterway?
Posted on 8/20/16 at 10:09 pm to DoctorTechnical
You could do it but you'd have to pump the water over the levee.
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