New Orleans is facing the biggest test of its post-Katrina hurricane protection system as the region is bracing for up to 20 inches of rain from Barry.
Public outcry over a proposed 17-ft wall and other physical barriers to prevent storm surge along the Texas coast has led the Army Corps of Engineers to switch gears.
As Congressional Democrats push new blocks to milcon funds for barriers and President Donald Trump seeks expensive changes, awarded contracts are protested.
Work is wrapping up on the widening of 21 miles of Brays Bayou in Houston, one of 75 individual project components of a $480-million cooperative project between the Harris County Flood Control District and the Corps of Engineers to reduce flooding in the watershed.
About $1 billion in federal contracts have recently been awarded to modify sections of barriers on the U.S. border with Mexico, and the Dept. of Defense is seeking to follow up with more contracts in coming months.
The feasibility study and environmental impact study is the first step in a process to protect Texas's 3,359-mile coast from storm surge and sea-level rise.
