The overall goal of the study is to identify and potentially recommend actions to reduce flood risk to public safety and human life and reduce economic damages caused by riverine flooding within Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, through approximately 2083 (the 50-year period of analysis).
The focus of the study is on riverine flooding occurring within Tangipahoa Parish, which is approximately 823 square miles and located in southeastern Louisiana. Tangipahoa Parish is home to over 137,000 residents and 2,500 businesses. The Parish extends from the Mississippi State line in the north to Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas to the south and extends from the eastern boundary with Washington and St. Tammany Parishes and St. Helena and Livingston Parish boundaries in the west. The most populated areas within the Parish include the cities of Hammond and Ponchatoula and the towns of Amite City (Parish seat), Independence, Kentwood, and Roseland. The parish is located at the crossroads of interstates I-55 and I-12 which serves as a national transportation corridor and evacuation route for Metropolitan New Orleans, LA.
The Tangipahoa River is a major waterway that flows through the central and eastern portions of the Parish, from the north to south, and is part of the Louisiana Natural and Scenic Rivers System. The Natalbany and Little Natalbany Rivers flow along the western boundary of the Parish flowing from the north to south. Ponchatoula Creek, Selser’s Creek, and the Big Branch drain the south-central part of the Parish and flow from the north to south. Riverine-caused flooding tends to be more prevalent along major river systems within the Parish and in the southern portions of the Parish due to the elevation and proximity to Lake Pontchartrain. The hydrology is complex, and communities experience repeated damages from flooding.