Storm Surge/Tide in Upper Lafourche, Louisiana

Hurricane Rita produced extensive storm surge flooding across coastal areas of southern Terrebonne, southern Lafourche, and southern Jefferson Parishes where numerous homes and businesses were flooded. Some of the most substantial damage occurred in southern Terrebone Parish where storm surge of 5 to 7 feet above normal overtopped or breached local drainage levees inundating many small communities. Newspaper accounts indicated approximately 10,000 structures were flooded in Terrebonne Parish. Lafitte and other coummnities in lower Jefferson Parish also suffered extensive storm surge flooding. Storm surge flooding also occurred in some areas adjacent to Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas with many structures being flooded in St. Tammany and Livingston Parishes. Approximately 1500 structures were reported flooded in Livingston Parish as a result of storm surge flooding around Lake Maurepas. Repaired levees damaged by Hurricane Katrina in late August were overtopped or breached along the Industrial Canal in New Orleans resulting in renewed flooding in adjacent portions of New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish, although the flooding was much more limited in areal coverage than during Hurricane Katrina. The highest tide gage reading observed during the storm was 7.34 feet NGVD at Barataria Bay north of Grand Isle at 11 PM CDT on September 23rd and approximately 7.10 feet NGVD on Bayou Grand Caillou at Dulac at 0500 CDT on September 24th. Locally higher storm surge values may have occurred in Terrebonne Parish.