S&WB, GNOF announce campaign for flood prevention

NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) - Just yesterday the Sewerage and Water Board announced a new campaign to get residents to help in the flood fight.

Fast downpours seem to be overwhelming the aging draining system more frequently and the Sewerage and Water Board admits it will take time to make needed improvements.

Ghassan Korban, the director, is hoping to slow down the amount of water rushing to drains during storms like today with the help of property owners.

In a partnership with the Greater New Orleans Foundation, a public awareness campaign will explain how "every drop matters."

Residents and businesses are asked to install rain barrels, plant trees and rain gardens, remove concrete from front yards and use permeable parking surfaces to slow the flowing water into the drainage system making it easier for the pumps to catch up.

Unfortunately, the more flooding we have the more folks are recognizing that sometimes the pumps, even when they are all working, aren’t going to be fast enough. The water just moves so fast off of those hard surfaces we’ve got to go back to where it was when we’ve got more surfaces that absorb the water and slow it down,” Andy Kopplin with the Greater New Orleans Foundation said.

One example Kopplin mentioned is the raised garden that takes in all the water from the down spouts at the Treme Center that can hold 9000 gallons of water back from the drainage system during a storm.

The website for Every Drop Makes a Difference can connect residents with nonprofits that offer grants and physical assistance to help install some projects on your property.

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