IEM Team to Develop Catastrophic Hurricane Disaster Plan for New Orleans & SE Louisiana

IEM Team to Develop Catastrophic Hurricane Disaster Plan for New Orleans & Southeast Louisiana June 3, 2004

IEM, Inc., the Baton Rouge-based emergency management and homeland security consultant, will lead the development of a catastrophic hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New Orleans under a more than half a million dollar contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

In making the announcement today on behalf of teaming partners Dewberry, URS Corporation and James Lee Witt Associates, IEM Director of Homeland Security Wayne Thomas explained that the development of a base catastrophic hurricane disaster plan has urgency due to the recent start of the annual hurricane season which runs through November. National weather experts are predicting an above normal Atlantic hurricane season with six to eight hurricanes, of which three could be categorized as major.

The IEM team will complete a functional exercise on a catastrophic hurricane strike in Southeast Louisiana and use results to develop a response and recovery plan. A catastrophic event is one that can overwhelm State, local and private capabilities so quickly that communities could be devastated without Federal assistance and multi-agency planning and preparedness.

Thomas said that the greater New Orleans area is one of the nation’s most vulnerable locations for hurricane landfall.

“Given this area’s vulnerability, unique geographic location and elevation, and troubled escape routes, a plan that facilitates a rapid and effective hurricane response and recovery is critical,” he said. “The IEM team’s approach to catastrophic planning meets the challenges associated with integrating multi-jurisdictional needs and capabilities into an effective plan for addressing catastrophic hurricane strikes, as well as man-made catastrophic events.”

IEM President and CEO Madhu Beriwal is the recipient of a s pecial merit award from the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association ( LEPA ) for her work in New Orleans hurricane emergency preparedness.

Ivan exposes flaws in N.O.'s disaster plans (September 19, 2004)
WWL TV ^ | September 19, 2004 | By KEVIN McGILL

Posted on 09/02/2005 11:41:24 AM EDT by Raebie

Ivan exposes flaws in N.O.'s disaster plans 05:09 PM CDT on Sunday, September 19, 2004

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press

Those who had the money to flee Hurricane Ivan ran into hours-long traffic jams. Those too poor to leave the city had to find their own shelter - a policy that was eventually reversed, but only a few hours before the deadly storm struck land.

New Orleans dodged the knockout punch many feared from the hurricane, but the storm exposed what some say are significant flaws in the Big Easy's civil disaster plans.

Much of New Orleans is below sea level, kept dry by a system of pumps and levees. As Ivan charged through the Gulf of Mexico, more than a million people were urged to flee. Forecasters warned that a direct hit on the city could send torrents of Mississippi River backwash over the city's levees, creating a 20-foot-deep cesspool of human and industrial waste.

Residents with cars took to the highways. Others wondered what to do.

"They say evacuate, but they don't say how I'm supposed to do that," Latonya Hill, 57, said at the time. "If I can't walk it or get there on the bus, I don't go. I don't got a car. My daughter don't either."

Advocates for the poor were indignant.

"If the government asks people to evacuate, the government has some responsibility to provide an option for those people who can't evacuate and are at the whim of Mother Nature," said Joe Cook of the New Orleans ACLU.

It's always been a problem, but the situation is worse now that the Red Cross has stopped providing shelters in New Orleans for hurricanes rated above Category 2. Stronger hurricanes are too dangerous, and Ivan was a much more powerful Category 4.

In this case, city officials first said they would provide no shelter, then agreed that the state-owned Louisiana Superdome would open to those with special medical needs. Only Wednesday afternoon, with Ivan just hours away, did the city open the 20-story-high domed stadium to the public.

Mayor Ray Nagin's spokeswoman, Tanzie Jones, insisted that there was no reluctance at City Hall to open the Superdome, but said the evacuation was the top priority.

"Our main focus is to get the people out of the city," she said.

Callers to talk radio complained about the late decision to open up the dome, but the mayor said he would do nothing different.

"We did the compassionate thing by opening the shelter," Nagin said. "We wanted to make sure we didn't have a repeat performance of what happened before. We didn't want to see people cooped up in the Superdome for days."

When another dangerous hurricane, Georges, appeared headed for the city in 1998, the Superdome was opened as a shelter and an estimated 14,000 people poured in. But there were problems, including theft and vandalism.

This time far fewer took refuge from the storm - an estimated 1,100 - at the Superdome and there was far greater security: 300 National Guardsmen.

The main safety measure - getting people out of town - raised its own problems.

More than 1 million people tried to leave the city and surrounding suburbs on Tuesday, creating a traffic jam as bad as or worse than the evacuation that followed Georges. In the afternoon, state police took action, reversing inbound lanes on southeastern Louisiana interstates to provide more escape routes. Bottlenecks persisted, however.

Col. Henry Whitehorn, head of state police, said he believes his agency acted appropriately, but also acknowledged he never expected a seven-hour-long crawl for the 60 miles between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

It was so bad that some broadcasters were telling people to stay home, that they had missed their window of opportunity to leave. They claimed the interstates had turned into parking lots where trapped people could die in a storm surge.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Nagin both acknowledged the need to improve traffic flow and said state police should consider reversing highway lanes earlier. They also promised meetings with governments in neighboring localities and state transportation officials to improve evacuation plans.

But Blanco and other state officials stressed that, while irritating, the clogged escape routes got people out of the most vulnerable areas.

"We were able to get people out," state Commissioner of Administration Jerry Luke LeBlanc said. "It was successful. There was frustration, yes. But we got people out of harm's way."

Innovative Emergency Management (IEM)

Madhu Beriwal President & CEO

With a background in Urban Planning and Transportation Engineering, Ms. Beriwal is also a recognized expert in evacuation modeling. She received a Special Merit Award from the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association for "her outstanding contribution to the civil defense agencies of southeast Louisiana in the development of the Hurricane Survival Plan."

Ms. Beriwal was also named a regional finalist for the national 1999 Working Woman Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards, jointly sponsored by Bank One and Working Woman magazine.

Richard L. Haley Vice President of Management and Acquisition

As Systems Manager for the Chemical Ammunition/Munitions Demilitarization System (CAMDS) in Tooele, Utah, Mr. Haley oversaw thorough testing and validation of each system scheduled for use in demilitarization facilities. His efforts resulted in safe and effective demilitarization systems for the congressionally mandated national program.

Ted G. Lemcke Vice President of Core Technologies

With a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science, Mr. Lemcke has extensive experience using computer models to simulate and assess threats from weapons of mass destruction (WMD). His background consists of 16 years’ experience with threats from WMD on both a military and professional level.

Mr. Lemcke’s international experience at IEM includes a successful technology exchange with the Government of Russia, in which he worked directly with senior officials from the Russian Ministry of Defense and the President’s Committee for Conventional Problems of Chemical and Biological Weapons.

Charles Kelly Vice President of Defense Operations

Since 2003 he has been the Sector Representative for Small Businesses as well as Non-stockpile Contractors on the Chemical Biological Defense Acquisition Initiatives Forum (CBD AIF), jointly chartered by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and the Joint Program Executive Office for CB Defense (JPEO CBD). Mr. Kelly was inducted into the US Army Chemical Corps Hall of Fame, as a Distinguished Member of the Corps in October 2003. He is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee, for Calhoun County Alabama.

While Mr. Kelly’s efforts have been key to our continuing service to the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) over the last 10 years, recent successes with new customers also confirm his ability. In 1999, Mr. Kelly oversaw IEM efforts on a complex project for a large, first-time client, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

Wayne C. Thomas Vice President of Homeland Security

Working collaboratively with local, county, state, national, and tribal governments, Mr. Thomas leverages his expertise on public protection, chemical demilitarization, public outreach, and other public policy issues with IEM’s technology to deliver sustainable solutions for the real world.

Before joining IEM, Mr. Thomas was Administrator of the Chemical Demilitarization Program for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), where he developed DEQ’s program team and provided leadership for oversight of the US Army’s management of and preparations to destroy chemical weapons stockpiled at the Umatilla Chemical Depot (UMCD). He worked with diverse interest groups to forge consensus on difficult issues regarding public safety, and he has represented Oregon at numerous legislative briefings.

Coastal Resuscitation

An ambitious 30-year plan would pump new life into south Louisiana's beleaguered coast and wetlands. It may be the region's best hope for weathering major storms.

By Mark Schleifstein
Staff writer

After decades of division over who and what are most responsible for Louisiana's dissolving coastline, state officials, environmentalists, business leaders and scientists have found common ground on what they think it will take to fix the problem.

The often-combative factions are rallying around something called Coast 2050, a $14 billion, 30-year wish list of flood-control, water-diversion and coastal-restoration programs that would be the largest construction project ever undertaken. The plan is aimed at re-creating a historic mix of swamp, marshland and barrier islands by unleashing some of the natural forces that had been bottled up by levees and other flood-control projects in the past century.

That should restore some of the region's natural storm protections, scientists say, reducing inland flooding and wind damage from tropical storms and weaker hurricanes that have become common events in south Louisiana in recent years.

"In the New Orleans area, if all the Coast 2050 strategies are implemented, you stand a pretty good chance of returning to a level of protection similar to 40 years ago," said Denise Reed, a professor of coastal geomorphology at the University of New Orleans.

But even with united local support, the scope of the proposal means the next phase of the battle will be fought over federal dollars in Congress, where the outcome is anything but assured.

The state would like to tap into the process Florida established in 2000 when it got congressional approval for an $8 billion plan to restore fresh-water flow in the Everglades.

But Florida had several key advantages in the political arena, including 12 million more people and 16 more electoral votes in presidential elections than Louisiana. With a $50 billion annual operating budget, Florida also expects to be able to contribute half the costs of the program. Louisiana, with a state budget of $16 billion, would have a much harder time kicking in a substantial share.

Florida also sold its plan during times of budget surpluses and a soaring stock market, while Louisiana is lobbying in an era of deficits and during an expensive war on terrorism.

It's a struggle, but Louisiana leaders hope they can make a case for Coast 2050 based on the straightforward argument that the sinking landscape is a direct threat to people, commercial interests, the environment and the economy -- including key fisheries and oil and gas production with national significance.

The battered coast and disappearing wetlands expose about 2 million south Louisiana residents, billions of dollars in property and key industries to increased flooding and damage from hurricanes, storms and even high tides. Officials fear the nation's energy flow could be disrupted if a hurricane takes out major pipelines or transfer facilities.

U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-Chackbay, says that should be reason enough for federal help.

"When you consider our contribution to national energy security, when we're finding out how risky it is to trust foreign sources of oil and gas, I'm not sure this is a bad time to make that argument," Tauzin said.

"If the nation continues to rely on Louisiana as the place for so much of the nation's energy requirements, the nation can't forsake our coastline at the same time," he said.

Tauzin, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, recently asked a subcommittee to create a task force comprising high-ranking officials of a variety of federal departments to oversee the wetlands-restoration plan.

But Congress already has rejected legislation that would have provided the state with money to use as its share of the construction projects.

When Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., proposed her Conservation and Reinvestment Act in 1998 to divvy up offshore oil revenue among states directly affected by offshore production, Louisiana would have gotten the lion's share of the money. State officials made it clear they would use most of Louisiana's share as its match for coastal-restoration projects.

The House approved a version of the bill in 2001, but it died in the Senate. Instead, Congress approved a one-year, diluted version aimed largely at financing parks and recreation.

Meanwhile, Tauzin and other members of the congressional delegation have been focusing on reshaping Coast 2050 within the confines of the federal Water Resources Development Act, the vehicle used by Florida to authorize its Everglades-restoration efforts.

Projects included in the water bill are guaranteed a line in the president's budget each year, but not the actual dollars necessary to build them.

In 2004, after a broad-based environmental impact statement is complete, the delegation will return to request authorization for the entire plan. With the authorization in hand, members of the Louisiana delegation say, the fight over money for the federal share of individual projects will begin in earnest.

"If we're successful in obtaining federal authorization in 2004 and if the state can succeed in trying to find the additional revenue necessary to be an effective cost-sharing partner, we can stay ahead of some of the wetland losses and have a pretty good chance of eventually developing a sustainable coastal system," said Randy Hanchey, assistant secretary of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.

Breaux Act a precursor

Just getting to this point has been an arduous journey.

Scientists began focusing on the state's wetland-erosion problem in the 1970s, but disagreement over the extent of the damage, the causes and possible remedies delayed a meaningful response. The first concerted restoration efforts didn't take shape until 1990, when Congress passed the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act, better known as the Breaux Act. Under the act, named for its sponsor, Sen. John Breaux, D-La., the federal government dedicated $35 million a year and the state added $15 million a year to pay for variety of small restoration projects and experiments.

The act has had some successes but is spread among several small projects rather than the large programs most experts now say are needed to reverse the damage. The scientists, environmentalists and government officials brought together under the Breaux Act eventually recommended taking steps toward creating a self-sustaining coastline, a wide swath of wetlands and barrier islands that would be continually replenished with water and sediment from the Mississippi River while protecting existing human settlements and the fish and wildlife on which a big chunk of the state's economy depends.

Seeking to bridge the traditional disagreements between environmentalists, developers and regulators, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana recruited an unusual partner to advise it on developing support for the self-sustaining approach. The group turned to R. King Milling, president of Whitney National Bank and Whitney Holding Corp., who stressed the links between wetlands loss and the state's economy.

A prominent New Orleans business and civic leader and former king of Carnival, Milling was not the typical environmentalist. But he said he had been concerned for years about what was happening to the coastline.

"I used to do a lot of hunting and saw the destruction, disappearance of the land," Milling said. "When I practiced law, I represented individuals and corporations that were impacted by the changes in the wetlands. Add that to the fact that I've been president of a bank for 17 years, and we've got a significant interest in this area."

When the coalition, an unusual alliance of business leaders, environmental activists and scientists, approached him about its report, Milling was concerned about its direction.

"The issues were presented to me as being related primarily to the environment, and I saw them -- continue to see them -- as issues that relate to the economy and commerce and the overall financial infrastructure of southeastern Louisiana," Milling said.

Milling had identified a missing element that would add urgency to a plan that had to win support in the Legislature and Congress, where economic issues can be an easier sell than environmental protection. During the next two years, Milling crisscrossed the state, giving speeches promoting the state's restoration plans and urging state officials to take action.

Price tag on restoration

One of those targeted by Milling was Gov. Foster.

"I felt we finally had a governor that would intuitively understand the issues if we presented them to him properly, and would take them on," Milling said.

With urging from Milling, coalition officials and representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers, state Department of Natural Resources and his own Office of Coastal Activities, Foster convened a "coastal summit" in August 2001 at which he declared war on coastal erosion.

Foster tapped Milling to lead a task force to outline necessary changes in state law and the state's bureaucracy to better attack the problem. In February the task force adopted a report recommending that the state commit to spending between $150 million and $200 million a year on the restoration plan. Officials say they are probably a year from taking the spending request to the Legislature.

For a state with a questionable record of dealing with its environmental problems and a reputation for looking to the federal government to bail it out of financial jams, just the suggestion of that kind of commitment was seen as a seismic shift.

Officials are not yet able to quantify how much hurricane damage might be avoided by adopting the plan, but UNO's Reed is hopeful.

"Most marshes close to the Mississippi River stand the best chance of regaining their integrity from the Coast 2050 strategies," Reed said, because it will be easiest to funnel river water and sediment to them. "But it's going to be a decade or so before any are on the ground."

And there are some hurricane-protection issues that remain unresolved, such as the effects of erosion along the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, she said.

"It acts like a conduit for water movement straight to the city," Reed said. "The Coast 2050 strategy is to encourage re-evaluation of the waterway aimed at its closure. But closure wouldn't mean filling in the channel, only constricting its depth and width."

Houma and eastern Terrebonne Parish would not be so lucky, Reed said.

"The area between Bayou Lafourche and Houma is really suffering a lot of loss," she said. "These are marshes that are a long way from the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers" and will be difficult to rebuild.

"We have ideas and plans on how to get the land-building started again in that area, but the farther you are from rivers, the more difficult it is to make that happen," she said.

That's why construction of the proposed Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane-protection levee is important for communities in that area, she said.

'A national problem'

To help sell the rest of the nation on the importance of the coastal-restoration efforts, the state is embarking on a national education campaign aimed at convincing the public of the state's need for help.

Val Marmillion, a former aide to Breaux who is developing the campaign for the state Department of Natural Resources, already has gotten some encouraging news from small focus groups in Louisiana and Philadelphia aimed at narrowing the state's message.

The 15-person Louisiana focus group recognized the need for wetlands restoration but thought people outside the state would never support the dollars necessary to do the job.

But the Philadelphia group "seemed to think this is a national problem, without a doubt," Marmillion said. "And both groups shared the view that the federal government should assume the primary role in implementing the plan."

The focus groups also have helped Marmillion develop a brand name for the effort: "America's Wetland."

This was obviously their "plan"...

Restoring coastal Louisiana will cost upwards of $14 billion dollars, while it is estimated that the cost of inaction will amount to more than $100 billion in infrastructure alone. Louisiana and its Federal partners, through the Breaux Act, developed the Coast 2050 plan, a blueprint for restoring coastal Louisiana in a way that will sustain its values for the nation and world. However, the effort to restore America's WETLAND will be the largest engineering project ever attempted in the world and will include; sediment diversions, marsh creation, barrier island restoration, shoreline protection, delta management, river water re-introduction, sediment and nutrient trapping and vegetative planting.

THE CAMPAIGN

America's WETLAND: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana
The State of Louisiana will work to raise public awareness of the impact Louisiana's wetland loss has on the state, nation and world and will gain support for efforts to save coastal Louisiana. In the largest, most comprehensive public education initiative in its history, Louisiana launched America's WETLAND: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana, with an initial three-year effort announced by Governor M.J. "Mike" Foster, Jr. at the Southern Governors' Association's annual meeting in August 2002. The campaign will establish the values and significance of this vast world ecological region and will highlight the pending economic and energy security threat posed to our nation by its destruction.

America's WETLAND campaign incorporates five objectives that will:

Establish a powerful, consistent and effective identity and brand along with images and core messages to define the problem and the impact of the loss of Louisiana's wetlands.

Create outreach opportunities and utilize comprehensive print and electronic media strategies to increase news coverage, educate the public and engender campaign support.

Develop a strong and active Cooperating Organizations' network to support dissemination of campaign messages and information to key audiences

Build an educational infrastructure through opportunities that engage youth and adults with America's WETLAND issues.

Develop funding opportunities to support the campaign and long-term restoration activities.

The America's WETLAND campaign will elevate issues associated with coastal land loss at local and state levels to national and world status. The State of Louisiana, with support from its congressional delegation, state legislature, and prominent business and civic leaders, will set the foundation and momentum for this global initiative.

Last Revised: November 20, 2002

The following is a list of the Federal levee projects which are part of this comprehensive plan. Incorporation of restoration plans are not included in this list, but are of critical importance for all hurricane plans.

Status of Hurricane Protection Projects in Southeast Lousisana

· Lake Ponchartrain, Louisiana and Vicinity, Hurricane Protection - This project is currently providing protection against storm surges associated with the Standard Project Hurricane for the vast majority of the inhabited areas of St. Bernard Parish, and the east bank portions of Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. The completion of five structures on the east bank of St. Charles Parish by 2004 will provide similar protection there.

· Westbank and Vicinity, New Orleans, Louisiana, Hurricane Protection - This project consists of 3 areas: Westwego to Harvey, Lake Cataouatche, and east of Harvey Canal (both east and west of Algiers Canal). Construction in the Westwego to Harvey Canal area has been ongoing since 1991. Construction was initiated in 2000 for the two adjoining areas (Lake Cataouatche & East of Harvey). The project is approximately 25 percent complete.

· Larose to Golden Meadow, Hurricane Protection - This project is currently providing protection against surges associated with storms that have a 100 year recurrence interval. The work is 95 percent complete with final lifts for various levee reaches remaining to be implemented.

· New Orleans to Venice, Louisiana, Hurricane Protection - This project is currently providing protection against surges associated with storms that have a 100 year recurrence interval. The work is 80 percent complete, with final lifts for various levee reaches remaining to be implemented.

· Grand Isle and Vicinity Project - This project provides hurricane and shore protection to the residents of Grand Isle. It consists of 23 breakwaters, jetties and a sand dune levee. It was completed in 1991 and turned over to the local sponsor for operation and maintenance. The Corps is conducting a reevaluation study to address flood control, beach erosion and environmental restoration for the north side of Grand Isle and its barrier island. A draft report is scheduled for submission in May 2003 with study completion in July 2003.

· Donaldsonville to the Gulf - The study envisions constructing a 57-mile-long hurricane protection levee south of Highway 90, from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Larose to the west guide levee at Davis Pond. The levee, along with a flood-control structure in Bayou Des Allemands, would protect the areas north of Highway 90 and the Lac des Allemands basin from flooding from storm surges. Scoping meetings to hear citizens' concerns are being conducted throughout the study area. Local sponsors are the Lafourche Basin Levee District and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. This project is in the feasibility study phase, scheduled for completion in August 2005.

· Morganza to the Gulf - The plan consists of approximately 72 miles of earthen levee, with 12 environmental flow control structures proposed for the navigable waterways and two floodgates in the Houma Navigation Canal. Construction is estimated to cost $680 million. The project is currently in the Pre-construction Engineering and Design (PED) phase. Congressional approval for construction is anticipated in the upcoming WRDA legislation.

· Lake Ponchartrain, Louisiana, West Shore - This project is in the Feasibility Study phase. Currently, alignment issues are being resolved with St. John the Baptist Parish officials. The feasibility report is expected by late 2003.

· Lower Atchafalaya Reevaluation - This is a study within the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T), Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana, project. Potential features include a "barrier levee" and flood control structures / pumping stations to provide backwater protection from Atchafalaya River floods to the area east of the East Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee to Gibson. Although the barrier levee would be designed to an elevation appropriate for the MR&T, an ancillary benefit would be the protection it would afford against storm surges resulting from hurricanes having 85-year recurrence intervals. The levee could be built to 100-year level of protection with minimal additional cost, paid by the local sponsor, or by the Federal government, if authorized by Congress. The preliminary draft report was completed in November 2002 and is being reviewed by the Mississippi Valley Division Headquarters. The report is expected to be available for public release and comments in March 2003.

· Hurricane Protection, Louisiana - This study will look at the feasibility of providing higher levels of storm surge protection (i.e. against Category 4 or 5 hurricanes) for the existing hurricane protection projects in southeast Louisiana than currently authorized. The full range of enhancement measures will be explored (higher levees, barrier island restoration, closure structures, coastal wetlands restoration, etc.). The reconnaissance phase of this study is complete and the project management plan for the feasibility phase is being prepared. A Feasibility Cost Share Agreement (FCSA) with a local sponsor will be required before the Feasibility Study is initiated.

Windell Curole, General Manager

South Lafourche Levee District

Comprehensive Hurricane Protection Committee

632-7554 or 696-2084

Charlie MELANCON (D-LA) SECURES MORGANZA FUNDING
May 25, 2005

The Morganza to the Gulf project is a 72 mile system of locks, levees and floodgates designed to provide protection to Terrebonne parish from up to Category 3 intensity hurricanes.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has proposed a levee construction project to protect against hurricane encroachment along a 70-75 mile path running through Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. This proposal, known as the Morganza-to-the-Gulf of Mexico Hurricane Protection Project, is scheduled for completion no sooner than 2020. Implementation of the Morganza levee system is part of the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Restoration Plan, a scheme that has been funded by and organized under the authority of the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). The Morganza project is one of several wetland restoration projects, and according to the Corps of Engineers' Feasibility Report, construction of this levee system poses no conflict with any other proposed plans under CWPPRA. Once completed, the levee wall will protect approximately 110,000 residents of both parishes against hurricane devastation.

Throughout the past year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has held numerous meetings, all local-based, to inform Terrebonne and Lafourche parish residents how the implementation of the levee wall will affect them. The focus has been on where exactly the wall is to be built and how much it will cost. Left out of the plans is Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana. This small island, located in the southeast corner of Terrebonne Parish, falls outside the planned levee wall's path, leaving it exposed and unprotected. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, the additional costs required to include Isle de Jean Charles into the levee project are extraordinarily high, making it difficult to economically justify re-routing the levee system's projected path. As a result, Isle de Jean Charles, an island already facing severe wetland erosion, is particularly vulnerable to hurricane-induced high tides and faces total obliteration should a high category hurricane make landfall at its tip.

Isle de Jean Charles' inhabitants are mostly poor and happen to be almost entirely Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Native Americans, who have lived on the island for several generations but currently lack federal recognition as a Native American tribe. The Army Corps of Engineers has proposed relocation of the islanders to an undecided area, presumably somewhere in Terrebonne Parish, behind the levee wall. Despite this proposal to relocate, which is seen as a significantly cheaper alternative to extending the levee wall so as to include Isle de Jean Charles, most of the residents do not wish to move away from home. The demand for inclusion, so far, has been an uphill battle for this community of 277, where refuting what the Corps of Engineers views as economically unjustifiable has become nearly impossible.

The residents of Isle de Jean Charles, however, are in a unique position that could potentially give them great leverage in their fight for inclusion into the Morganza Project. Obtaining official federal recognition as a Native American tribe would, by law, afford these residents certain benefits and protections from the federal government they would not otherwise have. The United States government created federal recognition not only to make available federal services and benefits, but also to ensure the right of tribal self-determination and autonomy. This comment will focus on federal recognition and how it might, and why it should, be used as a mechanism when fighting for inclusion into the federal levee project. This comment asserts that federal recognition will provide the residents of Isle de Jean Charles the necessary bargaining power when confronting the Corps of Engineers in their struggle for inclusion, as inclusion is essential to save the island from potential destruction. Part II will provide background information on Isle de Jean Charles: the island, the people, and the relationship to the Morganza-to-the-Gulf Project proposal. Part III will explore the law of federal recognition and its implications for Isle de Jean Charles' residents. Part IV will conclude that federal recognition gives the community of Isle de Jean Charles a fighting chance to stay afloat.

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