The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now roughly a year away from completing a six-year, $100 million drainage project in New Orleans.
Under the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA), the Pump to the River project broke ground in 2011 with the goal of improving drainage in the communities of River Ridge and Harahan. On May 8, 1995, the area experienced nearly 2 ft of rain, which overwhelmed the Soniat Canal and overflowed into surround neighborhoods and flooded thousands of homes.