The story of Noah’s Ark is my all-time favorite Bible story. Noah was given specific instructions on how to build the ark. Built from cypress and coated with pitch inside and out, the ark’s profile would have looked enormous against the horizon. Noah and his family filled the ark with two of each living creature, male and female. The rain came for forty days and forty nights. The earth was flooded, and all was lost. The ark came to rest safely upon the mountains of Ararat. The earth would now have a second chance.
I have always said, "Noah’s Ark was the world’s most
successful flood mitigation project." Noah knew a flood was coming. He listened
to the warnings of what was ahead, he was provided construction plans and took
action to mitigate the flood.
While Louisiana has plenty of cypress, the ark we need in
2022 is legislation. In 2011, Northeast Louisiana was protected from the
Mississippi River by levee’s that were legislated to be built following the
1927 flood. The State has grown since the early 20th Century. Our
hazards and risks have changed. We need new comprehensive legislation that
establishes a risk reduction strategy and guides investments to reduce inland
and coastal flooding.
I encourage our best and brightest to inform our lawmakers
on the need for risk reduction across the State of Louisiana.
We know a flood is coming. We need to take action.
Source: The Bible, Local knowledge
©2022 Tom Malmay
Tom M.
