What is the Multiple Lines of Defense Strategy?
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The Multiple Lines of Defense Strategy is a methodology to design flood control and wetland restoration in coastal Louisiana. The strategy works on the well-founded premise that coastal Louisiana must be protected from hurricane surge by both man-made features, such as levees, and by the natural coastal wetland buffer along the Louisiana coast. Levees alone will not work. Together, a healthy coastal estuary and appropriately designed levees system can sustain Louisiana’s ecology and economy of the coast.
The picture above illustrates the eleven types of lines of defense, such as barrier islands, ridges, levees, floodgates etc. The strategy also includes vital elements such as “non-structural” techniques (i.e. elevating homes above the potential surge levels). The last line of defense is evacuation routes which allow residents to move from harm’s way. All of these features can be depicted on a map allowing true integration by computer modeling.
The Multiple Lines of Defense was developed prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and published on the web January 2006. Due to the great impact of these storms, state and federal coastal planning in Louisiana has greatly accelerated. In April 2007, the state released their report titled “Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast”. In December 2007, the USACE will release a report to Congress for the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Plan (LACPR). Both of these efforts have adopted the Multiple Lines of Defense Strategy.
Report Planning Process
The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) formulated an assessment team to develop and promote the application of the Multiple Lines of Defense Strategy (MLODS), applying the best science and engineering to coastal restoration and flood protection. The assessment team is composed of highly qualified coastal scientists and engineers. This group is supplemented with additional expertise through universities and professional services. In addition, three technical workshops were held in November 2007 to solicit input and critique the draft report. Public comments that were solicited from August 2007 until January 2008 are included in the current version of this report. Comments will continue to be solicited to acquire the best information available and public input.
LPBF and CRCL have made a long-term commitment to apply this strategy to their coastal programs. This report is released as the "2008 Report (Version I)" but subsequent addenda or modifications may develop in 2008 and into the future. Significant new and pertinent information will be developed or released, which may require additional data or sections in the report. In order to incorporate public input and the best available science and engineering in this document, the report will be revised on a yearly basis or more frequently if the information acquired makes it necessary.
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| For the purpose of these recommendations, coastal Louisiana is divided into five planning units, which are the same as those used in the “Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast” and the Corps of Engineers' LaCPR planning process. |
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