Hundreds of people turn out for first-time event in Houma
HOUMA — Terrebonne Parish is proud of its go-it-alone attitude when federal levee and flood control dollars fail to materialize. For example, voters approved local sales tax increases in 2001 and 2013 for coastal protection infrastructure, an undertaking sometimes funded by the Louisiana or U. S. governments.
“The most important thing the parish can do is protect us, ” state Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, said. “And we have answered that bell as a community.”
Chabert was one of several officials who commended Terrebonne’s approach Tuesday (June 27) during an event that drew several hundred people. Organized by the parish government and the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District, “Coastal Day” was attended by about 750 people at the Houma Civic Center.
The almost four-hour event included displays of flood and storm protection projects, children’s activities and a discussion by a 17-member panel of elected officials and coastal protection specialists. Coastal Day’s strong attendance makes it likely the event will be held on an annual basis, organizers said.
Several speakers praised Terrebonne for approving the two sales taxes, which total 3/4 percent. The increases generated $50 million for the “Bubba Dove” floodgate and barrier in the Houma Navigation Canal south of Dulac. Bubba Dove is part of the Morganza to the Gulf protection network, a 98-mile-long levee, lock and floodgate system running across Terrebonne and west Lafourche Parish. About $350 million in local and state funds have been spent on the system, and $500 million more is planned. The full project is expected to cost $10 billion.
In south Louisiana, Terrebonne is particularly vulnerable. It could lose more than 400 square miles — 41 percent of its land area — over the next 50 years if no further coastal restoration and protection actions are taken. Coastal fishing and shrimping towns such as Dulac, Cocodrie and Chauvin could suffer more than 15 feet of flooding, according to the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.
Terrebonne should be commended for taking the lead on its own protection needs, said Col. Michael Clancy of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Instead of complaining about a lack of federal support, they’re moving on it, ” he said.
The Morganza system was dealt a blow last month when President Donald Trump ‘s proposed fiscal 2018 budget included no corps money for the project. Terrebonne had been pushing for Morganza-scale protections for decades, ever since Hurricane Jua n dealt a destructive blow to the parish in 1985. When federal dollars supposedly set Terrebonne slipped away, parish officials began developing support for the local tax increase.
It’s an approach that other parishes should emulate, said Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, who lives in neighboring St. Mary Parish. “To see how far Terrebonne has come, I’m hoping St. Mary comes, too.” Tying the two parish levee systems together should be a priority, he said. “We’re all in this together.”
Efforts to restore Terrebonne’s eroding marshlands will remain a challenge, Chabert said. Terrebonne will need vast amounts of dredged sediment, but the region’s main source, the Mississippi River, will likely contribute to restoration projects in Plaquemines, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes instead. “How we get much-needed sediment will be one of the greatest challenges facing us, ” Chabert said.
