Who’ll stop the rain?

Baton Rougeans who recall hurricanes Gustav and Andrew felt relative relief when the threat of Isaac turned into a two-day rain storm with minimal local damage, but a coastal scientist at LSU says the most recent storm was a sign of things to come. He warns that the Red Stick needs to prepare for longer lasting Tropical Storms.

“We need to think in terms of rain inundation instead of wind force and storm surge,” says Robert Twilley, the recently appointed executive director of the Sea Grant College Program that provides stewardship for Louisiana’s coastal resources.


Katrina’s storm surge that swamped New Orleans still haunts many, but Twilley’s research shows the more likely threat to Baton Rouge area is extreme amounts of rain.


“As the city expands out eastward, we have to be smart about development, about where we put concrete, where watersheds and flood plains are,” says “That’s the lesson from Isaac.”