JOINT INFORMATION CENTER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 12, 2008

Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration News Update

CONTRACTOR ON SITE ON EAST BANK OF PLAQUEMINES PARISH SAYS LEVEE HAS NOT BEEN BreachED NEAR SCARSDALE; SOME OVERTOPPING OCCURING

BATON ROUGE -- Contractors working to re-enforce levees in Plaquemines Parish near the town of Scarsdale say there has been no Breach of the levee but there is some minor overtopping as of 2:00 p.m. Friday.

Reports by Plaquemines Parish officials estimated a Breach to be approximately 50 ft wide and five feet deep.

However, Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration levee experts have been in contact with contractors hired by Plaquemines Parish to add sand bags to the parish levee who say there is no Breach.

Some minor overtopping has occurred. Contractors say they are containing the flooding to a small area.

More information will be released as it is obtained.

For the latest information on Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, you can visit emergency.louisiana.gov or call the state's emergency hotline at 1-866-288-2484 to listen to a recorded message with the most up-to-date information.

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