Friday, February 13, 2009
In the works since the devastating 2005 hurricane season, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile Division, has drafted an exhaustive plan to protect the Mississippi Gulf Coast—specifically, Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties—from future hurricane damage.
After Hurricane Katrina, Congress tasked the Corps to come up with this plan, and the "Comprehensive Plan and Integrated Programmatic and Environmental Impact Statement" seems to leave nothing about our coastline unexamined. The draft is wide-ranging in its investigation of current conditions and demographics, and in its recommendations for preventing and reducing storm damage, preserving fish and wildlife habitat, erosion control and "related water resources purposes."
Among the myriad recommendations, the draft addresses restoring barrier islands to pre-Camille conditions, constructing seawalls and reconstructing dunes along existing beaches. The Corps is also considering raising beach roads and elevating structures, and moving emergency services north of the "maximum surge limit" line. In addition, the plan calls for buying out specific high risk properties and restoring those ecosystems.
Costs for the various recommendations range from a half million to restore the Franklin Creek ecosystem to $8 billion in long-term homeowner assistance and relocations.
Download a copy of the plan from the Corps of Engineers Web site. (PDF 4.42 MB) The Corps requests interested parties to review and comment on the plan through the end of March. They will hold public hearings in early march in each of the three coastal Mississippi counties, details to be announced.
For more information, go to http://www.sam.usace.army.mil.