NEW ORLEANS – A new flood mitigation initiative in New Orleans’ Upper Ninth Ward is bringing residents and city officials together to develop long-term, data-driven solutions to chronic neighborhood flooding. For a community that has endured years of damaging storms and drainage issues, the effort marks a major step toward lasting, community-driven change.
“We know flooding is not just inconvenient—it’s disruptive and dangerous, especially in neighborhoods like the Upper Ninth Ward that sit below sea level,” said Greg Nichols, Deputy Chief Resilience Officer for the City of New Orleans. “That’s why we’re investing in both data and the voices of residents to shape meaningful solutions.”
The community meeting on July 19 at St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic Church is part of the larger effort to address persistent stormwater challenges. The Upper Ninth Ward has experienced repeated flooding, damaging homes and businesses and frequently forcing road closures. With continuous rain in the forecast for the weekend of July 18–19, the meeting serves as a timely reminder of the urgency behind the project.
The City has entered into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association (BFNA) to lead community engagement in partnership with Water Wise Gulf South (WWGS). The City’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability is also working closely with the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board.
“We’re committed to ensuring residents don’t just live through the problems—they help define the solutions,” said Meagan Williams, Urban Water Administrator with the Office of Resilience & Sustainability. “That’s what this project is all about.”
The project area spans 296 city blocks bounded by Florida Avenue to the north, the Industrial Canal to the east, St. Claude Avenue to the south, and Montegut Street to the west. Even relatively small storms can overwhelm the local drainage system, causing street flooding that often necessitates traffic rerouting and disrupts daily life.
Purpose of the Event
The July 19 meeting will launch a months-long public engagement process tied to a Hydrologic & Hydraulic (H&H) drainage study that will analyze how stormwater moves through the Upper Ninth Ward and identify the best options for reducing flooding.
In addition to technical data, the project team will collect community observations and preferences to shape a Community Priorities Report. That report will identify the areas that flood most frequently and the types of green infrastructure residents would like to see implemented. The top five to ten proposed projects will be advanced to the conceptual design stage, making them more competitive for future funding through state and federal grants or City Council allocations.
Additional community events will be held to gather input and maintain engagement as the project progresses.
Flood Mitigation Funding Issues
To tackle the Upper Ninth Ward flooding challenges, the City secured a $900,000 grant from FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program. The City is contributing an additional $400,000, bringing the total project budget to $1.3 million. These funds are dedicated to project scoping, feasibility studies, and the design of stormwater management features.
While funding for the current study is secured, FEMA recently halted new FMA grants for future projects—delaying nearly $600 million in planned flood risk reduction efforts across the country. The suspension stems from budget cuts implemented by the Trump administration which redirected FEMA resources away from pre-disaster mitigation programs such as FMA and BRIC, the agency’s flagship infrastructure resilience grant. This has raised concerns about future funding for construction and implementation phases of local projects.
“The decision to dismantle FEMA’s largest pre-disaster mitigation program is beyond reckless,” said Association of State Floodplan Managers (ASFM) Executive Director Chad Berginnis. “Although ASFPM has had some qualms about how FEMA’s BRIC program was implemented, it was still a cornerstone of our nation’s hazard mitigation strategy and the agency has worked to make improvements each year. Eliminating it entirely — mid-award cycle, no less — defies common sense. Cutting funding from projects already underway will leave states and communities scrambling, increasing disaster risk to families and businesses instead of reducing it. The impact of this decision will be felt for decades to come.”
The Association of State Floodplain Managers is a scientific and educational nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing flood loss throughout the country.
Ninth Ward Communities
The Upper Ninth Ward is home to a predominantly Black, lower-income population. Many properties are rentals or vacant, with average household incomes around $38,000 and approximately 32% of residents living below the poverty line.
Topographically, much of the neighborhood sits below sea level, forming a “bowl effect” that traps stormwater. While Pumping Station #19 serves the area, its capacity is often overwhelmed during major storms, contributing to chronic flooding.
Potential Mitigation Strategies
Flood mitigation strategies under consideration include both traditional and green infrastructure solutions:
- Elevating vulnerable residential structures
- Dry floodproofing non-residential buildings
- Installing green infrastructure such as rain gardens, bioswales, permeable paving, and rain barrels
- Upgrading pump stations and drainage systems, similar to improvements made under the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA)
Since 2019, Water Wise Gulf South has installed rain barrels, gardens, French drains, and planted over 100 trees—together capturing more than 3,200 gallons of rainwater.
