The West Park Drainage Impact Study

Hurricanes Laura and Delta, two category-four hurricanes in close succession in August and October 2020, caused a pattern of destruction across southwest Louisiana characterized by a combination of high winds, fallen debris, heavy rains and flooding that extended more than eighty miles inland. When disaster-impacted communities requested National Park Service’s (NPS’s) Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA) to assist with long-term recovery with a focus on resource conservation and outdoor recreation, local partners agreed on the need for a planning-level analysis and modeling of potential strategies. Funding was provided through an interagency agreement between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the NPS via the Stafford Act to conduct the work. The NPS entered into a scope of work with The Water Institute to address the need for modeling and analysis of hydraulic and hydrologic (H&H) resources within West Park in DeRidder, Louisiana to characterize flooding depths and extents across several intensities of rainfall. The results of the analysis are intended to inform DeRidder officials on the capability or proposed mitigation and adaptation alternatives as they look to renovate the park facilities.