NEW ORLEANS — According to a Sewerage and Water Board report all 27 of New Orleans' underpass pumps were working during Wednesday's storm. Still, the volume of rain that fell on the city was more than they could handle, and it led to the familiar sight of cars stuck in feet of water. At least one city leader believes it is time to find better ways to keep drivers out of flooded underpasses.
"Citizens have been asking us to take a proactive look at that for a long time, and it's fair to say that it's past time for us to take a look at it," said City Councilmember Oliver Thomas, who chairs the city's Public Works, Sanitation, and Environment Committee.
Wednesday's storm did not cause any reported injuries from drivers going into flooded underpasses. But that is not always the case. In 2021, 33-year-old Justin Thompson was found dead in his car after getting stuck in a Baton Rouge underpass notorious for flooding. Houston has seen several deaths in flooded underpasses in the last decade, prompting the city to install moving gates at some of them similar to the ones at railroad crossings.
Councilmember Thomas believes the gates are something New Orleans should consider, along with any other best-practice ideas from around the country. "There's always challenges, funding, what's the best technology. But I think we've had so much damage to property and threat to life, that it's worth us walking down that road to take a look at it."
There are some safety measures in place already. In 2019, the city's Department of Homeland Security installed "road closed" signs at 12 underpasses, with flashing lights that come on automatically when water on the road reaches a certain depth. The NOPD also installs temporary barricades during flooding.
But those measures are not foolproof. WWL Louisiana crews witnessed many drivers miss or ignore the flashing lights Wednesday and attempt to drive through the underpasses, sometimes swerving around barricades to do so. Many ended up stuck.
Thomas said the first step toward better safety measures would be a study of the city's underpasses and their typical flooding patterns. "We're gonna take a look at that before our committee," he said.
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