jeremy ALFORD
THE STATE OF THE STATE
Spilling Over WITH THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER EXPECTED TO CREST SOON, OFFICIALS ARE ON EDGE AND SOME RESIDENTS PREPARE FOR THE WORSE.
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an eight- to 10-day process to make that happen,” Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, said. Lt. Col. Mark D. Jernigan, deputy commander of the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said he had no idea when the barges would be in place, which again drew Jones’ ire. “The Corps has been great and timely in approving our request,” Jones said. “We didn’t have that in 1973. We violated every rule they had and went and broke them anyway. This time there’s more cooperation. We’re going to sink that barge whether we get approval, whether we get funding, whether we have to borrow it or sell crawfish by the side of the road.” The Bonnet Carre Spillway was opened to divert water away from New Orleans. A second relief valve closer to Baton Rouge, the Morganza Spillway, was expected to be opened over the weekend, but state officials weren’t waiting for official word from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to get prepared, as the Morganza opening will send water gushing into the Atchafalaya River Basin. Once Morganza is opened, Jernigan said it would take about three days for high waters to reach Morgan City and about four or five days for the backwater flooding to occur. “It wouldn’t be a tidal wave effect,” he said. “Gradually it would take some time for the water to fill up the floodway and move down the Atchafalaya Basin.” Environmental and wildlife concerns are sprouting as well, Jernigan said, as rising water pushes black bears, snakes, deer and other animals out of their habitats. Rep. Major Thibaut, D-New Roads, said officials need to prepare. “Especially in agricultural communities, these animals are going to move out of their habitats and start eating everyone’s livelihood,” he said. “If it comes to a decision between saving your livelihood or getting a $500 fine for shooting a deer out of season, I’m afraid of what my people might do.” Through it all, some lawmakers remain upbeat. “Things are really tense right now,” said Rep. Karen St. Germain, D-Plaquemine. “And believe it or not, we all still want to live where we live.” Jeremy Alford can be reached at jeremy@jeremyalford.com.
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GAMBIT > BESTOFNEWORLEANS.COM > MAY 17 > 2011
ouisiana’s annual spring flood is upon us, only this year it arrives with greater force than ever — and with the memories of recent hurricanes and the BP oil disaster still fresh. Tempers inside the State Capitol are rising as quickly as the river. Each legislative day has seen high-strung state Rep. Sam Jones, D-Franklin, flailing away in an effort to goad Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Chairman Garret Graves, the top coastal advisor to Gov. Bobby Jindal, into a fight. Graves, who cut his teeth as a Capitol Hill staffer and is roughly half the age of Jones, has yet to bite. Recently, however, Graves has said some of Jones’ questions are “absurd” — an unusual jab for the normally cool-heeled Graves. At one point, Jones pressed Graves to promise the state will help locals pay for emergency needs. He cited Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil disaster as examples. Graves suggested Jones “direct his frustrations” to President Barack Obama. “I don’t have access to the president. I have access to you,” Jones said during a joint meeting of the legislative natural resources committees. When Graves recommended the conversation continue “offline,” Jones threw down a pen and gripped his microphone. “I don’t want to talk about it offline,” Jones snapped. “I want to talk about it online.” During a similar hearing two weeks ago, Jones accused Jindal of using “rhetoric and shrill talk” to attack Obama, adding that it may have influenced the president’s decision to ban deepwater drilling after BP’s rig exploded more than a year ago. Jones was working for Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco when the hurricanes of 2005 made landfall and triggered a public relations war between the Republican White House and the Democratic governor. “Former Gov. Blanco made a decision not to do that,” he told Graves. “[Jindal] never stated anything publicly without trying to work with appropriate parties,” Graves responded. Meanwhile, the rising water has raised concerns across south Louisiana. In Morgan City, officials have Corps approval to sink two barges at Bayou Chene in an effort to halt backwater flooding. Time, however, is a major issue. “I was informed it would be
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