city government

City is planning flood-control initiative

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Cars again filled neutral grounds as commuters again navigated their routes to avoid flooded streets on Monday, when 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours. And again, cars stalled, traffic slowed or stopped, and businesses flooded despite sandbag barricades. There’s no stopping the rain, but the city is preparing a major flood-control initiative, Ramsey Green, the mayor’s top aide for infrastructure, told Uptown Messenger last week. “The city, together with the Sewerage & Water Board and the corps, is looking at how can we get some answers,” Green said. The Army Corps of Engineers, the S&WB and the city’s Public Works Department are conducting subsurface analytics of the city’s drainage system, Green said, primarily concentrating on areas where drainage is especially slow.

city government

City: Major funding awarded to elevate repeatedly flooded homes

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from the City of New Orleans

Today (June 12), the City of New Orleans announced the award of $12.5 Million in grant funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program. Those dollars will fund the elevation of more than 50 pre-identified homes in New Orleans that have experienced repeated and severe flooding. Twenty-two of those homes are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. “Flood mitigation has to remain a constant priority for me and our residents as we learn better how to live with water,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “This is a huge win for the City of New Orleans.

city government

City suspends parking restrictions as heavy rain moves into the area

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From the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

Residents are encouraged to prepare for heavy rainfall and potential flooding through Friday, June 7. Numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected across the New Orleans region through Friday, some of which could cause heavy rainfall leading to ponding of water in low-lying areas and areas of poor drainage. Rainfall totals between 2 to 6 inches are expected across the area with locally higher amounts possible through Saturday afternoon. The greatest threat of flooding in the metro area is currently forecast to be on Thursday, June 6, with a “Slight” to “Moderate” risk of excessive rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. A Flash Flood Watch will be in effect in New Orleans tonight through Thursday evening.

flood protection and drainage

Columbus: Stormwater management fee is key to long-term flood reduction

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Sewerage & Water Board Director Ghassan Korban was very clear in his remarks at the Bureau of Governmental Research on Tuesday morning. When it rains as hard and fast as it did early Sunday, May 12, expect flooding. Our antiquated drainage system just can’t keep up. Like thousands of New Orleanians, we spent Sunday mopping up flood residue and drying out our cars. Guests at the neighboring short-term rentals, caught off-guard, stood in line for our shop vac.

city government

City update on severe weather, flooding

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from the City of New Orleans
Updated 11 a.m. 5/13/2019

New Orleans officials released the following information following heavy rains and thunderstorms that moved through the metro area Sunday morning. More than five inches of rain fell in parts of the city between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., with bouts of heavy rain at rates of two inches an hour and higher sparking Flash Flood Warnings. Widespread street flooding was reported throughout the city. Observed flooding in some areas took notably longer to drain. Those areas include:

Area bounded by Canal Boulevard, West End Boulevard, City Park Avenue, and Filmore Avenue
Broad Street and Orleans Avenue corridors
Banks Street corridor
Franklin Avenue at I-610/I-10 overpass
Napoleon Avenue from Claiborne Avenue to Broad Street
St.

city government

Officials tout improved drainage, streets with South Galvez Infrastructure Project

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The South Galvez Street Infrastructure Project officially ended on Thursday when city officials gathered for a ceremony. The project, which cost $5.4 million to complete, runs from Toledano Street to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. It was designed in accordance with New Orleans’ Complete Streets policy. “The residents in this area needed to see that they are valued, they’re respected, and we’re wanting to make the investment in where they live, and that means we are investing in the people in our city,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell stated in a press release. The project was hailed for its potential to bring improvements to an often-overlooked part of the historic Central City neighborhood.

flood protection and drainage

S&WB repairing water main on Claiborne

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The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans is conducting an emergency repair on a 30-inch water main under South Claiborne Avenue between Octavia and Upperline streets. Residents in the area may experience short-term low water pressure. Traffic restrictions on Claiborne will start today at 9 a.m.

The right and center lanes of downtown-bound traffic on Claiborne from Octavia to Jefferson Avenue will be closed. Riverbound traffic on Claiborne will not be allowed to turn onto Jefferson. The repair is expected to take three days to complete, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

environment

‘Historic Preservation in the Face of Climate Change’ explored in three-part series

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The Preservation Resource Center is hosting a three-part series to address the risks and challenges climate change presents for New Orleans and the role preservation can play in creating a more resilient future. The first event of the series, to be held Wednesday, is a panel discussion titled “Document.” As the PRC website explains: “As our climate changes, so do our natural, built and cultural landscapes. While we strive to save as much as we can, we must consider what we are poised to lose and how efforts to record and archive can help mitigate inevitable casualties.” The panelists will be Jonathan Foret, executive director, South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center; Daniel Hammer, vice president and deputy director, The Historic New Orleans Collection; and Susan Langenhennig, director of communications and editor of Preservation in Print, Preservation Resource Center.

environment

Tree planting and rain-barrel painting among the activities at Hoffman Triangle event

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Hoffman Triangle residents are invited to come out to Taylor Park on Saturday, April 6, from noon to 2 p.m. for a family-friendly event to learn about ways they can reduce flooding by planting trees, installing rain barrels and reducing paving. “Many neighborhoods in New Orleans, including the Hoffman Triangle, are vulnerable to repeated flooding,” said Dana Eness, executive director of the Urban Conservancy. The Urban Conservancy is working with Launch NOLA Green, Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL), Green Light New Orleans, Water Block, and the city’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability — as well as Hoffman Triangle residents, churches, schools and others — to improve the neighborhood’s stormwater conditions. “This event is part of a larger outreach effort aimed at understanding community needs, assets and growth opportunities” says Atianna Cordova, founder of Water Block and outreach manager for the project. At the Green Your Neighborhood event, Hoffman Triangle residents can learn about effective stormwater management techniques and resources to help reduce flooding on their properties and on their streets.