Long poles or pipes are sunk into the ground near the corners of the house. When flooding occurs, the EPS blocks raise the house [fig. 123]. Sleeves that have been placed around the poles and attached to the structural frame of the home are able to slide up and down, allowing the home to rise and fall with the level of flooding [fig. 124].176 DRY IN SEPTEMBER, FLOODED IN FEBRUARY
fig. 122: Dry in September
fig. 123: Floating in February
fig. 124: Detail of Amphibious Foundation
fig. 125: Fishing Camp on Amphibious Foundation in Raccourci Old River
Adaptations of the fishing camps with amphibious foundations have been made entirely at the initiative of the individual homeowners (fig. 125). The NFIP does not provide insurance to homes on amphibious foundations, however, this strategy has been effective and homeowners have not needed to make claims. Repetitive claims from this area, made by homeowners with non-elevated, non-amphibious homes, are common.177 The amphibious fishing camps at Pointe Coupee Parish were among some of the first examples upon which English and her Louisiana State University (LSU) undergraduate mechanical engineering students based their early research. These systems typically cost approximately $5,000 or less to implement on an existing structure.178 The reliable performance of these amphibious structures in a highly flood-prone area suggests that amphibious foundations could be appropriate for implementation in the Lower Ninth Ward, where the threat of flooding is rare but the consequences are severe. The goal of the BFP is to engineer an amphibious foundation system, similar to those implemented by residents of Pointe Coupee Parish, making it code compliant and visually appropriate for an urban context. The the possibility of integrating more sustainable materials such as thermoplastic timber and recycled water bottles is also being researched. The photos on the following pages (fig. 126, 127) document amphibious fishing camps in Old River, Pointe Coupee Parish, in September and February. Each spring, when the Mississippi River floods, the amphibious fishing camps rise up and float safely above the floodwaters, and descend when the floodwaters recede.
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