12:49 PM CST on Wednesday, January 25, 2006

WWL-TV Editorial Board

We seem to have come to an acceptable first step to keeping storm surge out of western New Orleans.

The Army Corp of Engineers says by June First, it will have operable flood gates where the 17th Street, London and Orleans canals meet Lake Pontchartrain.

Now why can't we get some similar protection for New Orleans East, the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard?

Putting gates on the Intercoastal Waterway and the Mississippi River Gulf-Outlet would help stop the wall of water that pushed in from the Gulf and flooded everything East of the Industrial Canal.

This might be a crude structure to start with...maybe some barges filled with concrete and strategically sunk.

They could be raised again when the danger passes and the waterway reopens to commerce.

The Corps says it is not authorized for such a project. Our elected officials need to come together behind a plan that can be pushed through to Congress.

The money needs to be allocated now if we are to have any hope of keeping the next Katrina at bay.

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