Hurricane Katrina formed on August 23, 2005. It formed over the Bahamas and crossed Florida as a Category 1 hurricane before regaining its strength in the Gulf of Mexico to become a Category 5 storm when it hit Louisiana the morning of August 29^th. Winds were in excess of 140 mph.

It finally dissipated on August 31, 2005. It caused devastation over 100 miles from the center of the storm. Storm surge caused major and catastrophic damage along coastlines. Wind damage was reported throughout the area. Levees were breached and consequently flooded about 80% of New Orleans and neighboring parishes. Katrina is said to be the costliest hurricane in terms of money and lives - $75 billion and 1,604+ killed

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Plaquemines Parish is known as the “big toe of the Louisiana boot” and named for the persimmon. It is at the mouth of the Mississippi River, which bisects it, and it stretches out into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Parish is 844 sq. mi., 90 miles long but only 1-2 miles wide for most of the parish -- you are always near the river. The majority of Plaquemines Parish’s residents survive on the oil and gas industry, fishing, and citrus farming. The Parish has a wide variety of ethnicities - Yugoslavian, French, Irish, Italian, German, African-American, Cajun, Native American, and Vietnamese. When the hurricane hit on August 29, 2005, 98% of the 29,000 parish residents had evacuated. Because of the proximity to the water and the land being 6 feet below sea level, residents do not hesitate when a hurricane threatens. Despite this, three parish residents were confirmed dead.

 

When the hurricane hit on August 29, 2005, 98% of the 29,000 parish residents had evacuated. Because of the proximity to the water and the land bring 6 feet below sea level, residents do not hesitate when a hurricane threatens. Despite this, three parish residents were confirmed dead.

Hurricane Rita also affected Plaquemines Parish, causing tropical storm winds in excess of 40 to 50 mph. Hurricane Rita’s three-foot storm surge inflicted further damage to the already-weakened levee system and caused further flooding. Other impacts that the hurricanes had: 
 

• Katrina’s 20 ft. storm surge covered entire parish
• 57.2 sq. miles of wetlands lost
• 8 million barrels of oil spilled
• 80% of the citrus orchards destroyed
• Only 218 of 744 businesses have reopened
• 11 of 13 commercial fishing ice houses destroyed
• 610 of 763 commercial fishing vessels are inoperable
• Medical center destroyed
• 50% of the roadway mileage submerged for 2 weeks
• $158,000,000 in levee damage
• $17,500,000 in damage to pump stations
• $20,000,000 in damage to flood gates
• 5,420 housing units destroyed; 4,653 remain
• 16,791 residents relocated to EVERY state except Vermont

After the Devastation

After the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Illinois Chapter Administrator, John Paige, AICP, could not sit on the sidelines. John joined the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) to lead a local group in a 3- month “speed planning” effort. While planners from all over the country have been engaged in Louisiana’s Long Term Community Recovery planning process, most are with national firms. As one of the few with FEMA, John opened up a “storefront” operation in Belle Chase, which had escaped the extreme damage due to it being at a higher elevation than the rest of the Parish. The office’s location was within the resident’s reach and allowed opportunities for citizens to stop by whenever they could.



The entire planning process was under an incredibly fast timeline. In November community outreach and information gathering were priorities. By December, visioning sessions were taking place; three public open houses were held during January to receive feedback on the proposals created as a result of the visioning exercise; a long-term community recovery plan for the Parish was drafted by the end of January; and finally an implementation strategy was crafted in February that included prioritization and the search for funding mechanisms to make the vision a reality. Throughout the whole process outreach, inventories, brainstorming and feedback were constantly taking place. Luckily, John’s staff was partly made of local residents which provided critical information about their community.

Plaquemines Parish Vision

All of the hours of outreach, community meetings, and open houses focused the visions of the Parish. As the planning process took place more and more people attended meetings and gave their input. John believes the success of the vision for this community was due to extensive local involvement and the fact that this planning process filled a void, i.e., there was no active planning process in the parish at the time. The projects included in plan grew from the local visions. The Louisiana Recovery Authority may have as much as $15 billion ($10M CDBG, $3B FEMA) to spend on projects throughout the state.

The overall Parish vision grew around these ideas, envisioned by the community:

A beautiful, safe, and economically vibrant community

With a top-notch education system

All residents participate and benefit from the new vision

Safe and secure housing options for all residents

Excellent public services are provided for all Parish residents

Preserve the unsurpassed recreational opportunities and natural resource treasures

Resists future damage from storms through reasonable levels of protection

Preserve and embrace the diversity of cultural influences

Protect its historical landmarks such as Forts Jackson and St. Philip

Develops a clear, comprehensive plan to expand existing businesses and attract new businesses to the area through public and private sector partnerships

(Proposed Town Center in Belle Chasse, Louisiana; drafted by the Long Term Recovery Team, architectural unit)
 

Priority Issues detailed in the Recovery Vision

Economic and Workforce Development

• Create a supportive climate in order to attract businesses and industries (fishing, oil, gas, farming) to create and retain local jobs
• Restore recreational fishing and commercial seafood industries
• Diversify parish economic base
• Provide expanded workforce training and educational opportunities to support the recovery effort

Environmental Management

• Restore, enhance and protect soil, groundwater, and air quality.

Flood Protection and Coastal Restoration

• Restore, enhance, and protect coastal habitats, barrier islands and wetlands
• Develop techniques that allow coastal towns to rebuild but minimize risk

Human Services

• Repair or replace libraries that were damaged by the hurricanes

Education

• Rebuild and enhance parish school buildings and make them more storm resistant

Public Health and Healthcare

• Restore medical facilities and improve health care services

Public Safety

• Rebuild and improve public safety and emergency services
• Improve Parish capacity to manage crisis situations

Transportation and Infrastructure

• Provide for adequate flood and hurricane protection
• Rebuild storm damaged infrastructure including roads, bridges, utilities, drainage, public buildings, etc. to address current and future needs
• Improve traffic management and evacuation routes
• Improve mobility and alleviate congestion to support current (post-Katrina) and future residential and economic growth

Housing and Community Development

• Provide mechanism for Parish to survey residents
• Build, renovate & finance housing options to give residents the opportunity to come back home
• Establish updated zoning ordinances and expedite the adoption of building codes
• Rebuild the storm devastated lower Plaquemines Parish communities
  
   

A Work in Progress

After the vision was finished it was presented to Plaquemines Parish community groups all the way up to the Louisiana Recovery Authority. The Plan can now be accessed on the web at http://www.louisianaspeaks-parishplans.org/indparishhomepage.cfm?EntID=12. In March 2006 the FEMA office in Belle Chase closed. Since the office closure, there has been no other planning group to take its place. Plaquemines Parish has essentially been left with their vision in hand. Before John left, he made sure that several community members were familiar with the vision and the projects identified within the vision. There is still the possibility that FEMA may provide a recovery manager assigned to Plaquemines, but as of this date no decision has been made. In any case once the Louisiana Recovery Authority begins to allocate their recovery funds, local community leaders and involved citizens will be the most important advocates for their community.

For more information on Plaquemines Parish’s recovery plan, visit:
http://www.louisianaspeaks-parishplans.org/

 

Sources:
Hurricane Katrina, Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina

Planning for Louisiana Long-Term Community Recovery
http://www.louisianaspeaks-parishplans.org/