This morning, the Army Corps of Engineers met with residents in St. Mary Parish to discuss the potential threat of flooding.
St. Mary Parish President David Hanagriff says his office is monitoring the flood threat and is prepared to change their game plan if needed.
More than 100 residents packed into the gym at Morgan City High School with hopes of easing their concerns of flooding.
“If you go over the Atchafalaya River, you see the water coming up and coming up. By the railroad tracks, it’s getting pretty high over there,” said Morgan City resident Carol Means.
During the meeting, several residents questioned the integrity of the flood wall and area levees. Those residents say they’re concerned about the pressure on those structures.
“After 2011, significant repairs were made to the Morganza structure and just like our levee structure, we have no doubt that it will hold up,” said Major Jordan Davis with the U.S. Army.
The Corps of Engineers expects the Atchafalya River to go up nearly a foot and a half in the Morgan City area once the Morganza Spillway opens. Officials say once the barge is sunk at Bayou Chene, it will help with water levels.
Heath Jones with the Army Corps of Engineers said, “The areas north of the barge are actually projected to fall a bit from the rain that fell three weeks ago. The projection is that we will not have anymore rise in those areas north of the barge.”
The Parish President is also warning residents saying this will be a long, drawn out process.
The Army Corps of Engineers say they believe they will continue to be in a flood fight past the 1973 record of 225 days.
