17 years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans’ comprehensive flood defense system is complete: The 210-kilometer protective ring is designed to withstand floods up to nine meters in height, the Associated Press reports.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said at the handover ceremony that
It was the largest construction project to date for the US Army Technical Command. This process is the result of nearly two decades of hard work and cooperation at the local, state, and federal levels.
Federal Congress provided $14.5 billion for the project. Louisiana has acquired parts of the system in recent years. Maintenance and operating costs are expected to approach $33 million per year.
New Orleans residents have experienced the worst aspects of Mother Nature, but as the system is complete, they’ll be protected with top engineering, design, and hurricane protection solutions.
The governor confirmed.
The system also consists of two parts, the largest of its kind in the world: a pumping station and a 2.9-kilometre dam that can be closed in the event of storm flooding. The flood defense system withstood the devastation wrought by Hurricane Ida in 2021, although some of the suburbs not protected by the system were inundated.
