Flood monitoring network in southeastern Louisiana

A flood monitoring network has been established to alert emergency operations personnel and the public about hydrologic conditions in the Amite River Basin. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness (LOEP), has installed a real-time data acquisition system to monitor rainfall and river stages in the basin. These data will be transmitted for use by emergency operations personnel to develop flood control and evacuation strategies. The current river stages at selected gaging stations in the basin also will be broadcast by local television and radio stations during a flood. Residents can record the changing river stages on a basin monitoring map, similar to a hurricane tracking map.