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Hurricane Katrina Aftermath Reports

Monday, September 12, 2005

  • The Alabama NRCS State Conservationist traveled the state last week to survey the damage and to determine how NRCS can help with the clean-up efforts.
  • In Alabama, there is extensive timber damage.  In consultation with state conservationists in Mississippi and Louisiana, all three states agree that the downed timber must be cleared from the landscape for the following reasons:
    • The timber has added tons of fuel to the forest floor
    • The forest canopy is now open and the understory will become very dense with vegetation
    • This combination of more fuel and low growing vegetation will create a persistent hazard in the watersheds across the landscape for catastrophic wildfires
    • In direct benefits to clearing the forestlands of this slash is for the control of insect infestations.
  • Estimate it will be at least a 2-year effort, maybe longer, depending on the availability of contractors and machinery.
  • Expect only 3-5 percent of the damaged timber to be salvaged.
  • Mobile County: Met with the State Conservationist and the Mobile County Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors and with local farmer to discuss the impact of the storm to crops, fences, forest, orchards and livestock producers on September 7. We also made a tour of the impacted area. Met with the city of Bayou La Batre September 12 to go over Emergency Watershed Protection assistance. Met September 8 with the local Alabama Cooperative Extension System office to determine their plans for assistance.
  • Alabama has ordered 39 Blackberry units to be distributed to key personnel.  These units provide communication potential when all other forms of communication are limited.
  •  National Guard units of two Alabama NRCS employees have been activated.

 



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