[StBernard] La. parish tries new approach to fending off hurricanes | HoumaToday.com | The Courier | Houma, LA

[Westley Annis]

The ridge idea came from Earl Armstrong, a 65-year-old cattle farmer in
southern Plaquemines who lost all but 100 of his 1,800 head of cattle during
Katrina. The surviving cattle had been standing on a natural ridge. "They
came from five to 10 miles away until they hit that high place," he said.
"Then they saved themselves."

The new plan tested much better, bringing down storm surge by as much as 6
feet in some places, said Ty Wamsley of the research center. And by leasing
a long-term dredger to draw sediment from the Mississippi, parish officials
could lower the cost of the overall project by $500,000, Parish President
Billy Nungesser said. Parish officials said they could build the entire
project in about 15 years, about a third of the time it would likely take
the Army Corps.

<http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20091014/ARTICLES/910149987/1211?Title=La
-parish-tries-new-approach-to-fending-off-hurricanes>