Lafourche Parish:   Disaster Impact and Needs Assessment

The combination of storms that struck in 2005 shook Lafourche Parish to the core and tested the resourcefulness and self sufficiency of the community. Two comments have resonated during the Long Term Community Recovery Planning Process. The first is a quote from a participant in the Louisiana Planning Day program. “If it [Katrina] had not turned by ten degrees we would not be here today.” The second was derived from the hundreds of conversations the planning team had with the community which simply stated: We have to be prepared, because we can’t always be lucky.

Areas Suffering Greatest Impact

• Coastal region south south-east including Port Fourchon and out along the barrier islands up to and including Grand Isle hit by Hurricane Katrina
• Communities north of Port Fourchon along Bayou Lafourche up to the community of Larose hit by Katrina
• Community of Leeville—especially areas adjacent to the Intercoastal Canal (north and south) hit by Hurricane Katrina
• Coastal region south south-west of LA 1 experienced surge and high winds from Hurricane Rita
• Central and north Lafourche Parish (following Bayou Lafourche/LA 1/Highway 308) suffered damage from high winds

The needs and impacts caused by this disaster are organized into nine recovery sectors:

Economic and Workforce Development

Lafourche Parish is known for “Feeding and Fueling America”. It is a unique Parish developed along the raised banks of Bayou Lafourche. There are three distinct areas within the Parish. The northern portion is the seat of government, is the home of Nicholls State University, and provides excellent soils for sugarcane production. Central Lafourche is also important for sugarcane and agricultural production and is striving to become more economically diverse. The southern end of the Parish is critical to America’s economy. Port Fourchon, located on the Gulf of Mexico approximately 17 miles south of Leeville is the gateway for over 30 percent of the oil and gas entering the United States. The port employs over 6,000 people and, when combined with support industries such as intermodal transportation this employment hub in Lafourche provides even more jobs.

One of the major impacts of these storms is related to interruption of business. This has impacted everything from a small lawn and garden business ($60,000 loss (1)) to major impacts at the port where losses are estimated to be greater than $40 million dollars. Economic impacts and needs have been quantified as follows:

• Port Fourchon reported $40 million in damage. (2)
• The Thibodaux Civic Center sustained $1 million in damage (3)
• Other damages included the loss of public safety facilities which, beyond affecting the provision of safety services, impacted employees attempting to return to employment. Those losses may have totaled as high as $1.6 million. (4)
• Additional losses to the fisheries industry and agriculture topped $10 million. (5)
• Air Logistics, suffered extensive damage to helicopters from Hurricane Rita. The company has moved its terminal out of the port and inside the South Lafourche levee system. (6)
• Traffic on LA 1 has increased 18-20 percent over the same period last year. This indicates a spike in trucks and cargo being moved to Port Fourchon and then offshore (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). A significant percentage of increased activity relates to repairs to damaged offshore rigs and pipelines. (7)
• Damage from Katrina and Rita puts economically crucial Port Fourchon more at risk in future storms. Considerable beach front was lost near Belle Pass, and there is a report of a shoreline breach that opened into an embayment to the west of the port. Significant storm surge from even a small storm is likely to flood out the port. (8)
• Direct damages, lack of road access, and inoperable communications systems caused interruptions in employment and operations for workers and energy service businesses. (9)

Environmental

Environmental damage related to the storms includes the discharge of untreated sewage into the bayou and other water sources, oil spilled from storage tanks and saltwater intrusion into the parish water source.  Direct damage to homes and businesses in the southern portion of the parish, combined with power outages throughout the parish caused individual sewerage treatment plants to discharge into the water system:

• Over 5,000 individual sewer treatment plants (common to all buildings in rural areas of the Parish) were damaged, destroyed or lost power; which caused untreated human wastes to enter the watershed.
• Oil spills occurred from storage tanks located in the southern third of the parish. At this time there is no data available to quantify the amount spilled. The documentation for these events was derived from aerial photography sources.
• Saltwater intruded into the parish potable water supply peaking at 200 ppm at the Rita Bridge on 9/27/2006.

Flood Protection and Coastal Restoration

The key to hurricane protection is land. Louisiana is the only coastal state in the Nation that is losing land at a rate of 41 acres a day (25 square miles per year). This represents an ongoing reduction in buffer from storm surge and a catastrophic habitat loss. The cumulative losses of 1,900 square miles across the entire state (pre-Hurricane Katrina) have not been offset by ongoing restoration efforts.  A participant at the Louisiana Planning Day program (1/21/06) recalled that forty years ago in a town called “Orange Grove” located at the far south end of the Parish, cattle grazed, Satsumas (a type of orange/citrus) grew in groves, and live oaks provided shade on hot summer days. Today, the town has been renamed “Leeville” because the orange groves are gone, and the live oaks have died and become ghostly reminders of what used to be. Life in Lafourche can be described as a high wire act. The levees that protect residents from flood are also robbing Louisiana of the delta formation process that provided miles of marsh and wetland that used to temper the rage of hurricanes. This land loss is a major environmental and coastal issue that Lafourche and all coastal Parishes face; however, the issue affects the entire Nation. During the storms of 2005 the combination of wind and storm surge caused significant environmental and coastal damage, quantified as follows:

• Land loss from barrier islands, ridges, and marshland totaled 15 square miles.
  • The storms over-washed and eroded barrier islands
  • Sheared, ripped, scoured and flooded marsh, accelerating coastal land loss.
• The South Lafourche levees prevented major flooding, these levees held becoming saturated due to water raising to the very top of the system.
• Significant flooding occurred outside the levees in Pointe-Aux Chenes and some localized flooding occurred within the levees due to damaged storm drainage systems in Larose.

Human Services

The human impact of disasters can be difficult to quantify. Living through the storm, dealing with the processes and procedures after the storm, and seeing the damage and destruction to the infrastructure that supports day to day activities takes an emotional toll. Quantifying these impacts and needs includes listing out the impacts on the human services infrastructure and identifying the need for providing the services to assist victims through the emotional challenges they must face after the storm. A primary need identified after the storms were that there is limited mental health services available to residents of the parish, and there was no organized program for providing these services after the storms. Through attendance at regional human service agency meetings it was noted that there are not enough support service providers (therapists, etc.) to provide assistance to individuals and families within the Parish.

Education

• There was very little damage to schools and education infrastructure. The primary damage was to the Golden Meadow Library which was destroyed and has applied for $75,000 for repairs to the library and its contents.

Public Health and Healthcare

• Back-up power sources were one of the key elements lost during the storms. The locations of generator systems for the medical facility are susceptible to surge related flooding and were not available after the storm.
• The health unit in Lafourche has applied for $35,000 in medical services disaster assistance through the public assistance (PA) program.

Public Safety

Public safety facilities were damaged and personnel stretched beyond reasonable limits due to the disaster. One of the key issues that came to light during the storm was that emergency operations plans and preparations did not account for evacuees from other parishes and the demands this would place on the response team. The following list identifies public safety PA disaster claims made to date. More projects may be added as project worksheets are completed.

• Public safety facilities
  • Galliano Sheriff’s Office- $6,500
  • Courthouse- $ 5,000
  • Various Fire Station structures- $ 20,000
  • Leeville Fire Station & Truck- $ 30,000
  • Galliano/Cutoff Microwave Tower- $ 12,000
  • Police vehicles- $ 1,300
  • Civic Center Roof & water damage- $1,700,000
  • Criminal Operations Building- $ 3,900
  • Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Department- $ 50,500
  • Lockport Police Department- $ 2,000
  • LaRose Park- $ 33,600

The Parish also experienced an Emergency Response communications situation during the recent storms.

• Telephone lines and cell phone towers were damaged affecting the link with both the landline and wireless connections. It is essential that communication lines remain operational during disaster events.
• Various Emergency Response groups were not able to communicate and resolve interagency issues and concerns.
• There is also an essential need to develop, establish, and maintain an interagency relationship for addressing emergency situations through a planning/coordination process.

Transportation and Infrastructure

The right front quadrant of the Katrina storm passed to the east of Lafourche and the right front quadrant of the Rita storm passed to the west of Lafourche.  Major infrastructure damage was limited to the area around Port Fourchon and the extensive flooding of LA 1 in southern Lafourche. Generally the roadways, bridges, and levee systems were able to withstand the storm impact. The storm did, however, amplify a critical need. That need is for more adequate and efficient evacuation routes from the southern portion of the Parish.

• Due to land subsidence conditions in the southern portion of the Parish, the storm surge flooded in excess of twenty miles of LA1, making it impassable to vehicular traffic well in advance of hurricane landfall. LA 1 is the only evacuation and emergency responder route for the Port Fourchon and Grande Isle areas. This area of LA 1 needs to remain open to traffic and not isolate Port Fourchon and Grande Isle.
• Port Fourchon, which is a critical link supplying America with seafood, oil and gas, sustained significant damage along with the closure of LA1 (intermodal link) due to erosion and flooding. The impact of having this port shut down, in particular since two other major oil/gas ports in Louisiana were destroyed, had a devastating impact on Lafourche/Regional economy.
• Levees in south Lafourche held, but were pressed to their limit in both height and strength: their ability to sustain the community through another hurricane season is in question.
• In addition, the majority of traffic evacuating the area is funneled onto US 90. The volume on US 90 collects vehicles not only from southern Lafourche, but also from Thibodaux, Houma, and the adjacent Parishes. This recent storm also included traffic flows from the New Orleans area attempting to evacuate to the west. The increased volume of traffic reduced the flow on US 90 to an “F” level of service. Since this facility is the only major multi lane evacuation route from the Parish, there is a need to address increased capacity and reduced levels of service..
• Due to the large population area and increased volume of traffic that is used by the US 90 facility for evacuation, there is a need for an additional or alternative route to relieve the capacity problem and provide additional options should US90 become restricted or is not passable.
• Since LA 1 is the major route through the Parish, the majority of the traffic is channeled onto this route toward US 90. Several municipalities with normal traffic conditions can impede the smooth flow of traffic, especially during times of evacuation. These conditions would include signals, turning movements, driveways, school and pedestrian crossings, etc. In addition, these municipal areas also have a higher than average accident rate. Therefore, there is a need to review these conditions to develop a more expedient way to address these concerns.

There were a total of twelve (12) applicants for Public Assistance (PA) reporting damage in all of the categories itemized under the PA program. The total cost of the repairs listed under this program was estimated at approximately $10,725,000. The breakdown of the damages by the Public Assistance Categories and cost are:

• Category A: Debris Removal- $420,000
• Category B: Emergency Protective Measures- $4,014,000
• Category C: Roads and Bridges, including Fourchon Bridge- $583,000
• Category D: Water Control Facilities- $350,000
• Category E: Public Buildings and Equipment- $3,420,000
• Category F: Public Utilities- $386,000
• Category G: Parks, Recreational Facilities, and Other Items- $1,554,000
• Parks & recreation facilities
  • Misc. parks/ballfield- $ 20,000
  • Oak Ridge Park- $ 185,000
  • Beach restoration- $1,013,000
  • Maritime Forest ridge erosion- $ 60,000
  • Beach erosion- $1,000,000
  • Bath house- $ 3,100
  • Pavilion canopy- $ 5,400
  • Park facilities $ 30,000

Housing and Community Development

The levees held, and more than 35,000 homes were spared the widespread damage that would otherwise have occurred. Even with the protection of the levees, thousands of homes sustained damage. The immediate effects of wind and rain are in the process of resolution encompassing temporary housing for severely damaged homes to roof repair. The long term effects are only now being realized. These include increased insurance rates, and the decrease in housing availability and affordability. The most affected segment of the population is low-income residents south of the levee system. Their homes were destroyed by storm surge. The housing impacts related to the disasters include:

• Approximately 5,000 homes were damaged.
• High winds tore off roofs, which, in turn, wet the contents and caused mold and structural problems.
• Of the homes inspected by FEMA with major damage, 83 percent were in the 100-year flood plain (Source: FEMA)
• Most evacuees returned to their homes after the storms (interviews, Louisiana Planning Day, workshops, other impromptu conversations)
• There are currently 223 FEMA trailers in place and ‘leased out’ in the Parish, with 100 applications pending. None (zero) have been returned to FEMA. (Source: FEMA)
• Total applicants for FEMA trailers, as of January 20, 2006, were 533. Of these, 130 applications were withdrawn.
• There are four FEMA Trailer Parks in the Parish; three in Galliano and one in Lockport, plus numerous individual trailers located at home sites. (Source: FEMA)
• Approximately 3900 requests were made for disaster housing assistance at the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in Raceland (Source: FEMA DRC)
• The Parish has mixed income levels, therefore, all income groups were affected although areas outside the levee tend to be lower income areas.
• Impacts included single family (including trailers) and multi-family properties.
• Senior, Section 8, and public housing were relatively unaffected. (Interviews)
• Approximately 700 children were new enrollees in the public school system (Source: South Central Planning and Development Commission (SCPDC), Lafourche Parish Public Schools)
• There is a housing shortage since the demand has increased due to the influx of hurricane evacuees and recovery contractors.(Source: interviews)
• There is a loss of affordability, since the prices have increased after the hurricanes (Source: interviews).

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(1) Comment recorded from 1/21/2006 Louisiana Planning Day, Galliano, LA.
(2) Port Fourchon quarterly newsletter Fall, 2005
(3) The Daily Comet November 2005 article
(4) Damage assessment data was derived from research compiled by the Parish team,
(5) Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council-- La. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and LSU Cooperative Extension
(6) Air Logistics information obtained through a comment collected at Issues Station--Louisiana Planning Day, 1-21-06.
(7) Traffic Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).
(8) Port Fourchon at risk in future storms Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.