As residents throughout Louisiana brace for the impact of Hurricane Francine, Plaquemines Parish sits at an interesting intersection of the storm’s path. Depending on which bank of the river residents live on, they may have to deal with differing levels of storm surge. Plaquemines Parish President Keith Hinkley points out that surges on the west bank are expected to be 4-7 ft, while the east bank will be dealing with 3-5 ft storm surges and that bit of difference can be a big deal in terms of conditions and storm preparation.
The parish is no stranger to hurricanes and Hinkley believes Plaquemines residents (especially older ones) understand that even a Category 1 or Category 2 storm can severely impact the area. “The residents of Plaquemines Parish … they have been through this many times and understand that a category one hurricane brings different challenges today than it did twenty or thirty years ago because of coastal erosion”, Hinkley adds. Much of the marsh area in Plaquemines Parish that used to slow down any incoming storm is now open water, which offers no buffer against those stronger winds.
Hinkley does add, however, that Plaquemines Parish retention ponds should help the area even if the higher end of storm surge predictions holds true. “There are a lot of burrow pits in that area that serve as retention ponds and we’re pretty confident that the amount of water coming in will mostly fill the fields and pastures” Hinkley adds. He does add that it’s important for residents to stay abreast of evacuation information and heed safety warnings from local government officials.