Response to the meeting          Date: June 18,2009

Thank you for your support.  We said that there is strength in numbers and we told you we needed large numbers at the June 16 Corp meeting.  We asked you to urge all your friends and neighbors to attend the meeting and we said that the only way we will get storm surge protection is to put pressure on our elected officials to provide storm surge protection now!

                          What Did We Accomplish?

I know you were disappointed in the way the Corp dominated the meeting and did not allow apposing views to be heard.  You may have left the meeting frustrated and angry that you were not allowed to speak at the meeting, but your voice was heard!  The huge turnout spoke volumes and I now believe the Corp and the elected officials that were in attendance got the message.  We certainly got the attention of the media and our local officials.  Kevin Davis and the parish council have gone on record in support of a barrier system to keep storm surge out of Lake Pontchartrain and Kevin Davis has asked all local municipalities in the parish to pass resolutions in support of a barrier system.  Our State Representative Greg Cromer, who has supported us from the beginning, was there to provide additional support and leadership in this fight.  

It was disappointing that none of our elected officials from Washington attended since they are directly responsible for providing funding and authorization to the Corp to begin the process of storm surge protection for St. Tammany.  David Vitter and Steve Scalise’s offices sent a representative, but Mary Landrieu’s absence was disappointing.

                               Our goals were:

1. Inform residents of what has and has not been done to protect St. Tammany from the next major storm.
2. Raise awareness of the need and value of a storm surge barrier across the east end of Lake Pontchartrain .
3. Put our elected officials on notice that we want storm surge protection and we want it now.
4. Get the Corp and our elected officials to include St. Tammany Parish in Louisiana comprehensive plan for storm surge protection.
5. Develop a network of concerned citizens and elected officials that are committed to providing a comprehensive storm surge plan that includes St. Tammany.
6. Convince our Washington representatives of the value of a storm surge barrier plan.  That a barrier not only protects St. Tammany but all the parishes that surround Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas and will provide protection for eight parishes and 1.8 million people.
7. Obtain funding and specific target dates for a barrier that provides storm surge protection for all eight parishes surrounding Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas and satisfies Congresses’ mandate to provide protection for the entire gulf coast.

The meeting with the Corp on June 16 was only the first step in achieving our goals.  We feel that we have accomplished our first three objectives and are well on our way to accomplishing the remaining objectives with your continued support.

                            What Needs to be Done?

1. We need the full support of all of our elected officials and agencies. 
2. We need to keep this issue in the public media spotlight.
3. We need Kevin Davis to appoint a parish advocate to the Southeast Flood Protection Authority so when comprehensive storm surge plans are developed and funds are allocated St. Tammany is included.
4. We need to assemble a Storm Surge Protection Committee consisting of concerned citizens, engineers and independent experts to gather and study not only the Corp data, but independent data documenting storm surge impact to St. Tammany Parish.  This committee needs to develop a plan with target dates for storm surge protection and track its progress.
5. The committee needs to look beyond the Corp’s rhetoric on the impact their existing projects have on storm surge in Lake Pontchartrain and any obstacles associated with constructing a barrier across the Rigolets.  The committee needs to bring forth the independent studies and models done by experts in the field that show Corp projects will have significant impact on lake storm surge and the cost estimates of a barrier across the Rigolets is the most cost efficient way of protecting not only St. Tammany Parish but all the parishes surrounding the lake.
6. We need our local, parish and state officials to assemble a political action committee to lobby our congressional committee for the storm surge barrier plan and to hold regular high level status meeting with local federal officials on storm surge protection status.  We are 3 ½ years behind our neighboring parishes and our local, parish and state officials must be proactive to make up this lost time.
7. But most of all we need you.  We need you to stay engaged, to attend our meetings, to call, email and write your Congressmen and Representatives in Washington demanding the barrier plan is approved, funded and placed on a fast track for completion. With your continued support we will save our homes, our parish, and our quality of life.        
   
   Thanks again for your continued support.
   

      Tom & John 

      



      To my fellow residents:                                   May 28, 2009

    On May 27th I had the occasion to meet and speak to Dr. Ivor van Heerden. Dr Van Heerden is well recognized as an expert in flood protection and storm surge affects on our coast.

  We discussed flood protection for St.Tammany Parish and what affects the levee systems that are built along the MRGO and IGWW has on our Parish. DR. van Heerden assessment of the levee system concurs with what I have stated on this web site.

   The presentation made by Dr. van Heerden was very enlightening. It was also very sobering. Dr. van Heerden showed models of a slow moving Category 3 storm that produced surge flooding up to I-12 and a far west as Madisonville. He also showed models that prove the levees cause increased storm surges to the Breton Sound and Lake Borgne area.

  After the presentation, Dr. van Heerden conducted a question and answer secession. I asked the question, will the additional work which consist of raising the levees along the MRGO and IGWW have an expediential effect on the storm surge in Lake Borgne. To paraphrase his answer, he explained that due to the closure of the IGWW and MRGO the storm surge that would normally flow through this area will no longer happen. That volume of water will remain in the Lake Borgne area and will be pushed north as the storm moves inland. This volume will depend on all factors in relation to that particular storm.

   At this point the Corps does not share the same opinion as Dr. van Heerden. The Corps has produced their own models which show only a one inch increase in water due to the levee build out. This answer by the Corps does not seem reasonable when you consider the volume of water you are displacing.I have asked the Corps to answer specific questions about the storm surge in this area and the data they used to come to their conclusion. I am still waiting for a response from the Corps to these questions I posed to them. 

    It should be noted that Dr. van Heerden’s analysis of the storm surge patterns are shared by several other PhD’s. A report written by Dr. Pat Fitzpatrick of Mississippi State University shows the storm surge patterns and the increase of surge in the Lake Borgne area as well. In other reports they show how the storm surge is influenced by the levee systems.

   If you wish to see ADCRIC models go to ADCRIC/hurricanes/Gustav/Gustav. This model shows the storm surge build up along the levee systems.

Thanks for your support

John                

                 My Fellow residents:                                   May 1, 2009

        
  The public meeting we have been working toward will occur on May 19th. I have been allowed to submit a series of questions to the Corps which should address many of our concerns. I have continued with the research and discovered more reports produced by the Corps which pertains to our issues. We need to keep the pressure up and make this a  public event. 

Thank you for your support

John
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
       My Fellow Residents:                                                                                                            March 21, 2009 
 

    The long awaited meeting with the Corps of Engineers and our political officials occurred on March 20th. In attendance was Senator David Vitter, State Representative Greg Cromer, State Representative Kevin Pearson, State Senator Jack Donahue, C.P.R.A. Director Garrett Graves and staff, Parish President Kevin Davis and staff, the Corps of Engineers staff involved in the ICW project and myself. The topic of discussion was the immediate need for regional flood protection, including the North Shore. The fact that this flood protection would benefit all parishes, whose shores touch Lake Pontchartrain, was also acknowledged during the meeting. This protection involves 1.5 million people and reduces the so-called back door flooding threat, which occurs in Lake Pontchartrain. A great deal of progress was achieved by bringing to light the issues not previously being discussed. After hearing the dialog spoken by the principals in attendance, the urgency to begin the process was quite clear. This process still has a long way to go, however, we are gaining ground as more residents and political officials become involved. The politicians attending the meeting have committed to start the process.

   Representative Pearson will conduct a town hall meeting on legislative issues, including flood protection for the North Shore, on April 6^th. This will take place at the Slidell auditorium at 6:00 PM.

   I want to thank State Representative Greg Cromer for his assistance in organizing this meeting. With his help, we have been able to move extremely fast in getting these meetings moving forward.

  Thanks for your support

John

    To my fellow residents:                                                                                                             February 5, 2009

                                               Meeting with Garret Graves head of the CPRA

                On Wednesday the 4th I had a meeting with Garret Graves who is the head of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. The topic of the meeting was what effects the old and new levee systems that are built to our west has on flooding. I pointed out that the combination of old levees created by the 1965 flood act and the new work being done at the ICW and MRGO effects the storm surge that enters the lake. I also pointed out the levees that protect St. Bernard and the one that runs along the ICW are scheduled to be raised another 10'. This will increase the height of storm waters which get trapped in the area called the funnel. Add the lock system on the ICW  and the water will be held in place until the wind shifts from the south as the storm's eye reaches the coast. I then showed what might happen if the water will no longer flow up the ICW to the industrial canal. The logical scenario will be that it will remain in the Lake Borgne area until that wind shift from the south. All of this welled up water will then be pushed north by the storm's maximum winds. Models found on the web site ADCRIC shows this build up prior to the eye's approach. I stated that one of our concerns would be that this will create a greater storm surge in lake Pontchartrain. As the storm moves inland the wind will shift again and begin to push to the east. The wall of water previously pushed into the lake will then be pushed east into Slidell. Models of Katrina, Gustav, and Ike all show this occurring.  
       The next thing we discussed was the old flood plain. I showed Mr. Graves photos which illustrated that prior to 1965 the flood plain was about 23 miles west of Slidell. Most of St. Bernard, New Orleans east, the lower 9th ward upper Jefferson and St. Charles Parish were all part of the old flood plain. After the 1965 flood act, levees were constructed through New Orleans east and the  flood plain was then moved all the way to the five mile opening by I-10. In St. Bernard a levee was built 12.5 miles long along the eastern shore line of lake Borgne and then extended west to the river. I stated that all these flood protection improvements to our west has caused more flood pressure in our area. Last, I presented the possibility of building a flood barrier along the CSX rail system and flood gates at the Chef and Rigolets. I made it clear that this project will protect all of the 1.5 million people living along the lake shoreline.  Mr. Graves asked that he be given two weeks to bring the presentation to his engineers and let them look it over. I must say Mr. Graves was very generous with his time and allowed me great latitude to make my point. I would also like to thank State Representative Greg Cromer, he has been instrumental in helping me set up the meeting with our public officials. He has backed this issue from the start and continues to help anyway he can.

Thanks for your support 

John 



  


 To my fellow residents                                                                                                                               January 22, 2009

                                                                        Meeting with Parish President Kevin Davis

               On January 22nd I had a meeting with Kevin Davis to discuss our need for flood protection. I made my presentation to him and expressed the need to fast track the protection project through the State and Federal programs. Mr. Davis acknowledged the fact that there is a real threat for flooding as storms enter this region. He stated that he is planning a trip to Washington next week and will talk to the Corps of Engineers about this issue. I pointed out to Mr. Davis that the urgency to have a project started very soon is based on the completion date of the MRGO project, which will be in 2011. I will be giving a presentation on flood protection to Mr. Garrett Graves, Chairman of the CPRA on February 4th. I will report the results after the meeting.

Thank you for your support
John

                                                                                                                                                                    January 16,2009

                       The Forgotten Parish

       On January 15th I gave a presentation before the Louisiana Southeast Flood Authority. To say the least, I was disappointed with the response. First, the board made it perfectly clear that we have no one representing us at the table. In fact, it was stated that Parish President Kevin Davis made a presentation before the board last year. At that point, he was advised it was time resurrect the levee board for St. Tammany so we would have some representation. As of January 15th this has still not been done. Second, I heard several board members refer to the need for regional flood protection, however, I never once heard them include the North Shore. During my presentation I pointed out that the population in this area has been increasing over the past 25 years, and a new growth splurge is currently underway. I was shocked when board members questioned why we are allowing new construction in this area. After several comments by members, I interpreted it as "we must live here at our own risk". Although I did not say it out loud, I thought to myself, then why should anyone in this region have protection. Everyone in this region should live with the same risk. Another point I made during the presentation was the concern that  levee systems built in the past and new ones currently being built will contribute to our flooding risk. No one denied this, in fact, one board member expressed the same concern. Here's the point, whether or not we have a sitting board member is irrelevant, this is a regional board and they should be representing the interest of all in the region. As it stands, according to the Southeast Flood Authority, until we get someone to push our agenda we are not going to get the protection we so desperately need. Mr. Doody, President of the board, stated to me that the flood protection I was describing would take a lot of studies to address it's feasibility. This idea is nothing new, it was studied in 1965, 1977, and now in a report Mr. Al Naomi will finish in 2009. The time for studies are over, we need to move forward. This protection system will benefit everyone. Those who know me know that I will not back down on this issue. I am asking that you get involved by calling or e-mailing our Local, State, and Federal Politicians and demand that they move forward on this issue. I am also asking that you pass this web site on to at least one other person so they will get involved. We need to show the Flood Authority and our politicians that we will not stand for being the forgotten Parish.
 I will have in the next few weeks an opportunity to make the presentation to Mr. Garrett Graves, the chairman of the CPRA. I'm hoping for better results.

Thanks for your support
John
 




To my fellow residents:
                                                                                                                                                        January 2, 2009
                                                                                                                   We moving forward

             I will be making a presentation to the Southeast Flood Authority on January 15th addressing flood issues in our region. Also, thanks to the help of a state politician we are scheduling a presentation to the Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority. These governmental authorities are the source of development for flood protection. The presentation is a culmination of  research on levee protection, meetings with the communities involved, and with State, Local,and Federal political officials. Our attempt is to bring to light the issues and possible solutions to the immediate need for flood control in our region. Thanks for your support, I will up date everyone after the meeting.

  Thank you for your support
John 





To my fellow residents:

                                                                                                                                                          December 9, 2008

                   The on going fight for flood protection in our region

      Several events have happened since I began this campaign three month ago. First, I have had the opportunity to meet with Local, State, and Federal political officials to discuss regional flood protection. The discussions were both verbal and written correspondence with Congressman Steve Scalise, State Senator A.G. Crowe, State Representative Greg Cromer, along with Parish Council Chairman Jerry Binder and Parish Councilman Richie Artigue. To further the cause, I produced a power point presentation that defines the current issues as well as problems in the future. The future problems I believe will be caused by the 100 year flood protection work being preformed to our west. This presentation was sent to Congressman Scalise, State Senator A.G. Crowe Senator Mary Landrieu, and Congressman David Vitter.  There is a meeting being scheduled in the near future to discuss these issues with all the politicians involved.

     On November 20th I had the pleasure to address the members of Oak Harbor homeowners association.  The member's whole-heartedly signed the petitions and many expressed a desire to become active in the campaign. I am in the process of developing an e-mail network of homeowner association presidents in this region. As information becomes available, I will then disseminate it to the presidents, and in return they can forward it to the residents of their communities in news letter and meetings.

    Second, we have begun to circulate a petition to inform our residents of the immediate need for flood protection.  These petitions are floating around most of our neighborhoods. If you do not have one in your neighborhood use the guest book on this web site and sign in. I can download your information and add it to the list . All I need is your name and address. I will build a database from the information.  The petitions will be presented to our politicians to show that regional flood protection is a priority and foremost on our mind.

 Third, I produced this web site so a line of communication can be opened for all of us. You will have place to voice our opinion on this issue.

 Progress is being made, however we are way behind the other communities in our region with flood control.  Make no mistake we are in an up hill battle. There will be those who will try to take this effort in all directions to confuse and stifle progress.  If we stick to the facts I believe we will be successful. 

Thanks,

John 

P.S. I have had several inquiries from Venetain Isles residents about flood protection for their area. The simple answer is that you are in the same boat we are in. Your subdivision is included in every discussion of flood protection I am involved with. I have been in contact with Ed. Hadley, your homeowners association president, and I have been up dating him with  information as I get it. 
Thanks for your support,
John