June 11, 2022 | From City of New Orleans
MAYOR CANTRELL URGES LAKEVIEW RESIDENTS TO TAKE FLOOD MITIGATION SERIOUSLY
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today issued the following statement urging Lakeview residents to take flood mitigation seriously:
“My administration has worked diligently to secure funding for a multi-million-dollar project designed to alleviate the dangers of flooding in City Park, Lakeview and other surrounding areas,” said Mayor Cantrell. “Regrettably, the residents and political leadership of the area want to delay this much-needed infrastructure project by as much as a year – despite the common-sense notion that more powerful and destructive storms pose a threat to our City. As a result of this delaying tactic, the City now has developed plans to shift this funding to other high priority areas in order to further address and strengthen our infrastructure needs.
As a part of my work with the United States Conference of Mayors, I have elevated the City of New Orleans as a nationwide leader in building a more resilient infrastructure that can withstand and protect her residents from the looming threats of climate change. This 187-million-gallon water storage project is an example of that leadership and emblematic of a city on the frontlines of climate change. It is beyond comprehension why anyone who calls this City home would stand in opposition to a project that will save lives and millions of dollars of property.
Seventeen years ago, as a community organizer in Broadmoor, I experienced firsthand the devastating impact and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Initiating the community response, we revived our neighborhood from the threat of being razed due to the destructive floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. And, in the process, carried adjacent neighborhoods like Lakeview along with us. Simply put, in Broadmoor we had a plan. This flood mitigation project in City Park, Lakeview and other surrounding areas is also a plan. As the federal government recently stated when they turned over the $14.5 billion Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System, this is a piece of a larger puzzle designed to protect our City. Although this system reduces our risk of flooding, the Federal government advised that in order to provide enhanced protection and adapt to our ever-changing climate, the City needed to construct additional flood mitigation projects. This 187-million-gallon water storage project is the type of additional construction envisioned by the Federal government, and its completion is vitally needed in order to provide the most protection for our residents.”
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