State of emergency declared, Corps to discuss possible Morganza opening

St. Mary Levee District officials declared a state of emergency Monday evening due to the projected 9.5-foot crest of the Atchafalaya River at Morgan City on Jan. 23.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have a stakeholders meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium before the Corps considers whether to open the Morganza Spillway, which would increase the flow of water coming to Morgan City.
The Corps meeting Thursday is for informational purposes and for the public to give input, St. Mary Levee District Executive Director Tim Matte said. As of this morning, Matte classified the potential for the Corps to open the Morganza Spillway as likely.
The levee district commission held a special meeting Monday at the Port of Morgan City to declare a state of emergency to make preparations needed to protect the parish from potential flooding in the coming weeks.
Because of the projected 9.5-foot crest, levee district officials plan to close Bayou Chene in Amelia, which would prevent flooding in St. Mary and surrounding parishes, Levee District Commission President Bill Hidalgo said.
Levee district leaders should decide officially by the end of the week whether to close Bayou Chene, Matte said.
The levee district has identified potential barges they could sink to close Bayou Chene in Amelia to prevent flooding in the region, Matte said.
The commission also approved closing a levee road that goes from Calumet to the Franklin area.
Matte emphasized the importance of keeping clear access to the levees and floodwalls so levee inspections can take place. Matte expects daily levee inspections to begin Wednesday.
Matte also spoke during Monday’s St. Mary Industrial Group meeting.
Parish officials will restrict traffic on the levees, and the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office will assist in patrolling the levees.
Local leaders hope to get a presidential declaration of a state of emergency that would allow more federal funding for flood protection projects, Matte said.
Projections for the Jan. 23 crest will be “knocking on the door” of what the region saw in 2011, Matte said. During the 2011 flood, the river got to 10.35 feet in Morgan City.
One prediction shows the Atchafalaya staying above 9 feet through the end of January, Matte said.
River levels in the Atchafalaya should reach 8 feet by Jan. 16.
If Bayou Chene isn’t closed, Amelia and Terrebonne, Assumption and lower St. Martin parishes would be subject to flooding, Matte said.
The St. Mary Levee District is in the planning stages of a roughly $100 million project to install a permanent structure that can block Bayou Chene during a flood. Construction is scheduled to start in February 2017.
Levee district officials have been attempting for three years to get a permit to build the structure, but the process has hit some “roadblocks,” Hidalgo said.
Area business owners on the unprotected side of the floodwalls have already begun to make preparations to protect their assets.
Darby Washburn owns Washburn Marine Shipyard and Washburn Marine Towing located on the unprotected side of the floodwall in Morgan City.
In 2011, Washburn built a limestone levee around the front of his property to protect buildings and equipment, he said. This year Washburn decided not to build a levee and instead is loading equipment on barges and putting it in a protected area on Bayou Teche, he said.
“One of the hard parts is deciding when to stop working doing paying jobs,” Washburn said. “We don’t have enough time to try to do more jobs and make that decision. We’re already taking the yard apart and saving our equipment.”
Washburn’s greatest concern regarding possible flooding is the weather the area gets after the water reaches 9.5 feet, he said.
“The same weather pattern that caused all of this to begin with, we’re still in that same pattern,” Washburn said. “So if we get more rain in the same areas, (rain) could press the levels even higher or the duration even longer. That’s a big concern of mine.”
Coast Guard officials plan to enforce vessel traffic restrictions while also trying to ensure vessels and structures on the waterways in the area are safe during the high water, said Coast Guard Capt. David McClellan, commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Morgan City. McClellan encouraged anyone who sees a potential problem on the waterways to contact the Coast Guard.