The words of Jean Lafitte Mayor Tim Kerner, Jr. speaking with WWL radio.
Kerner is openly fearful about the new levee, which has a seven-and-a-half foot clearance, being breached in an overtopping as a result of Hurricane Marco.
“Yesterday, [the estimated storm surge] was 7-to-10 feet. And today it dropped to more along the lines of seven foot, six-to-seven foot. Six foot gives us problems. Our new levee,” Kerner explains. “…that wouldn’t have flooded one time in history, is seven-and-a half feet. If we go over that, which some projections are showing, it would be the worst flood, it would flood our schools, it would flood a lot of the homes down here.”
But with new projections saying the Hurricane would be pushed to the west, Kerner is filled with new optimism:
“If it keeps going further west, if it goes to Lake Charles, or even to Texas, then that’s going to help us out a lot,” Kerner says.
“But it really has to get pushed out of the way, because once Marco comes through it’s not going to take that much, two days after for that water [from Tropical Storm Laura] to flood us,” he says.
“We really need a big push west, we really hoping it moves a lot further west,” Kerner says wishfully. “…so we don’t have to worry about it.”