Congressional Candidate Touts Flood Plan

St. Tammany Parish, La.-businessman, Jim Harlan, running for the congressional seat now held by Steve Scalise, released a five-point flood protection plan. His Main point is a proposal for huge flood gates to keep hurricane storm surges from pushing the waters of Lake Pontchartrain into surrounding communities.

Harlan is running for the Democratic nomination for the 1st District congressional seat, which is a largely suburban district linking communities on the north and south shores of Lake Pontchartrain. He is expected to face Scalise, a Republican, in the November general election.

Harlan’s plan, outlined in a campaign news release this week and on his campaign Web site, says there are several design options for such gates, including designs similar to those used in flood protection in the Netherlands.