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By BILL DECKER
bdecker@daily-review.com
Tropical weather can shock, even when it doesn’t surprise.
That was the case last year, when what was expected to be an active hurricane season gave Morgan City its closest brush with a direct hit since 1992 and caused massive flood damage in mountainous regions of the Southeast.
Officials from every level of government met Tuesday at Morgan City’s Emergency Operations Center to make plans for the 2025 tropical season. The first big forecast of the season, from Colorado State University, is calling for another busy summer and fall with 17 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes in the Atlantic-Gulf Basin.
Since 1991, the average number of named storms has been 14 per year.
Last year, what was predicted to be an active season seemed slow until just after the Sept. 10 statistical peak of the season.
The next day, Category 2 Hurricane Francine hit near Morgan City with 100 mph winds and an official total of 8-10 inches of rain, although anecdotal accounts put the rainfall total much higher.
The deluge exposed deficiencies in the series of pump stations designed to move water outside the levee system in the low-lying city. Hundreds of homes sustained water damage.
Gravity Drainage District 2A is receiving $14 million from the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority for upgrades to the pump stations in the hardest hit areas.
Florida was raked by two major storms. Helene headed north to dump up to 30 inches of rain in the Appalachians, killing 106 people and damaging 125,000 homes. Then came Milton, killing 35 people and causing $34 billion in damage.
This year, according to local, parish and federal officials:
—They urged all agencies to communicate with one another and to keep careful records of damage. Like homeowners, local governments often turn to federal agencies for disaster assistance.
And “you all are our lifeline to our people,” said Meteorologist Marti Calhoun of the National Weather Service.
Calhoun also noted that nine of 10 tropical weather-related deaths are the result of water. Since 2012, the proportion of deaths blamed on freshwater flooding has been growing and is now at 57%.
—As with last year, road repairs may complicate evacuation plans.
The timing of the reopening of the La. 182 bridge in Morgan City is uncertain. State crews are again working on U.S. 90 through New Iberia, although only the eastbound traffic is restricted to a single lane this year. Both westbound lanes are open for now.
But extensive work continues on a six-mile stretch of U.S. 90 between Baldwin and Sorrel. There, traffic is restricted to one lane in either direction, and the lanes are separated by heavy concrete barriers that can’t easily be removed.
—Tim Osborn of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pointed to more potential bottlenecks should evacuations be necessary. He pointed to major LNG projects underway in Plaquemines and Cameron that will draw workers, many living in trailers or RVs in flood-prone areas.
—Operations Manager Michael Brocato of the St. Mary Levee District said 90% of the levee system is designed to block river flooding rather than storm surge flooding.
But the Bayou Teche Flood Control Structure near Baldwin was built to protect central St. Mary from storm surge flooding that makes its way into the Charenton Canal.
And the larger Bayou Chene structure, built to stop backwater flooding when the Atchafalaya is high, may also be used in some tropical situations.
—Coast Guard Lt. Jenelle Piché went through the warning levels for port conditions. Condition Whiskey means gale-force winds — at least 39 mph — are expected within 72 hours; X-ray, 48 hours; Yankee, 24 hours, and Zulu, 12 hours.
The meeting was also a chance to hear from Marine Safety Unit Morgan City’s commander, Cmdr. Mary Gilday, who will be moving on from the post soon.
“We’re ready for whatever comes our way,” Gilday said, “and we’ll be here.”

The creation of a nine-parish Acadiana Regional Juvenile Justice District is now before the Legislature. 
St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard,  chairman of the proposed district’s board of directors, said, “Everybody in here knows that we have issues across all nine parishes.” 
He added, “What we do now is we’re going to the state Legislature this year to get them to approve this district to get it on the ballot for a sales tax of one cent, one cent sales tax for one year. At the end of that year, the money that’s collected builds the new facility for the juvenile detention.” 
After one year, the sales tax drops to a 0.25% to pay for operations and maintenance, he said at the April 16 Parish Council meeting in Opelousas. 
The parishes involved are Acadia, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis, Vermilion, Iberia, St. Martin, St. Mary and St. Landry. 
A majority of voters in the nine parishes must approve the sales tax, which will not have an end date, he said. 
Justice system officials in St. Mary have said the number of juvenile detention beds falls short of the need. When a young person is accused of a violent crime — too violent to allow the youth to be returned to parental custody — the cost to send the suspect to an out-of-area facility can sometimes reach hundreds of dollars a day.
The proposed facility will have more than 100 beds and expected to cost $80 million. The facility is to be located north of Interstate 10, he said. 
“But this facility is not going to be a regular detention center. This facility is going to be put in place to hopefully take these juveniles and bring them back into the workforce after they get out,” he said. 
Juvenile crime is a bigger problem than most people know, he said. 
“We are spending $50,000 a month on juveniles because we have a contract with Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office They hold 10 juveniles for us right now,” he said. 
Bellard added, it is difficult to budget for the detentions. 
“We don’t know when the next one is going to be put in and, trust me, these judges are not sending the juveniles to these detention centers just because you know it’s a minor crime, you know they’re accused of major crimes,” he said. 
Bellard said four juveniles were being held in the parish jail and they must be sent to a juvenile facility at a cost of $275 a day. An adult prisoner costs the parish $17 a day, he said. 
“So you all see the big problem we have. And then we’re lucky to have them in Louisiana. Most of the juveniles will have to be transported to and from Alabama, Mississippi,” he said. 
“We’re looking at a facility that we can add on to if we need. But it’s going to give the judges an opportunity to put some of these kids that do lesser offenses, to go sit a couple of days and think about what they’re doing. Right now, there’s no recourse,” he said. 
“I mean, honestly, if they don’t shoot somebody or they don’t stab somebody, they don’t get sent. They just go back home with the parents because there’s no room and there’s no money,” he said. 
“Whenever the kids get in our custody it’s our responsibility to make sure we just don’t throw them in jail and forget about it,” he said. 
State funding was considered, but it would require 30% of the beds be available for the state, he said. 
“So with this plan right here, we pay for our own weight and we manage it ourselves,” he said. 
Board members are: Sheriff K.P. Gibson, Acadia Parish; Kenny Courville, Allen Parish; Sheriff Charles Guillory, Evangeline Parish; Sheriff Ricky Edwards, Jefferson Davis Parish; Stan Hardee, Kaplan city judge; Armond Schwing, Iberia Parish; Chester Cedars, St. Martin Parish; Tania C. Washington, St Mary Parish; Jim Doherty, retired district judge, St. Landry Parish; Jessie Bellard, city judges, St. Landry Parish president; and Judge Luke Abrusby, parish presidents and police juries, Allen Parish. 

U.S. oil and natural gas firms have a message for President Donald Trump: his energy and tariff policies are creating chaos and his “drill, baby, drill” mantra is “a myth,” according to a new Dallas Fed survey of 130 energy firms in Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana.
Firms weighed in on the impact of Trump administration policies in just the first few months of his second term after rig counts have dropped, layoffs have increased and operating costs continue to go up, The Center Square reported.
The Fed’s first-quarter energy survey measured the condition of energy firms located in its district. Its company outlook index decreased 12 points, “suggesting slight pessimism among firms;” its outlook uncertainty index increased by 21 points.
Of the 130 energy firms surveyed, 88 are in exploration and production (E&P); 42 are in oilfield services. Their average operational cost per barrel is $45, and firms “need $65 per barrel on average to profitably drill,” the Fed notes. The WTI was at $63 a barrel as of Tuesday.
The amount of debt and investment needed to explore and drill new wells isn’t feasible with oil prices dropping and overall economic uncertainty, industry executives argue.
Costs have increased across the board, firms said, with the most being legal and administrative in order to comply with a plethora of regulations, energy firms said. Although the Trump administration is reducing federal regulatory burdens, 40% of companies surveyed said they didn’t expect their regulatory compliance costs to go down; 21% said they expect them to go up.
“The key word to describe 2025 so far is ‘uncertainty’ and as a public company, our investors hate uncertainty,” one E&P executive said, according to the survey. “This has led to a marked increase in the implied cost of capital of our business, with public energy stocks down significantly more than oil prices over the last two months. This uncertainty is being caused by the conflicting messages coming from the new administration.
“There cannot be ‘U.S. energy dominance’ and $50 per barrel oil; those two statements are contradictory.
"At $50-per-barrel oil, we will see U.S. oil production start to decline immediately and likely significantly (1 million barrels per day plus within a couple quarters). This is not ‘energy dominance.’ The U.S. oil cost curve is in a different place than it was five years ago; $70 per barrel is the new $50 per barrel.”
Another said, “First, trade and tariff uncertainty are making planning difficult. Second, I urge the administration to engage with U.S. steel executives to boost domestic production and introduce new steel specs. This will help lower domestic steel prices, which have risen over 30 percent in one month in anticipation of tariffs.”
“The administration’s chaos is a disaster for the commodity markets. ‘Drill, baby, drill’ is nothing short of a myth and populist rallying cry. Tariff policy is impossible for us to predict and doesn’t have a clear goal. We want more stability,” another said.
“The disconnection of oil and natural gas markets, specifically commodity pricing, seems to be causing a feast-or-famine effect on the industry,” another said. “Companies with natural-gas-weighted assets will spend more money in 2025 developing their assets, but oil-weighted companies will decrease capital spending with the current pressure on oil pricing for 2025.”
Still another said, “The administration’s tariffs immediately increased the cost of our casing and tubing by 25 percent even though inventory costs our pipe brokers less. U.S. tubular manufacturers immediately raised their prices to reflect the anticipated tariffs on steel. The threat of $50 oil prices by the administration has caused our firm to reduce its 2025 and 2026 capital expenditures. ‘Drill, baby, drill’ does not work with $50 per barrel oil. Rigs will get dropped, employment in the oil industry will decrease, and U.S. oil production will decline as it did during COVID-19.”
One Texas-based E&P firm said, “for the average onshore upstream operator, the current administration versus the previous administration regulatory regime shows no real change at all. We still get our permits from the Railroad Commission in Texas, for example, not the Environmental Protection Agency. The federal regulatory regime matters if you are operating in the Gulf of Mexico or Alaska but not for the Permian, Eagle Ford, Bakken, Utica, etc.”
Others pointed out that the Trump administration asking OPEC+ countries to increase crude production “hurts domestic operators.”
Another said, “The rig count is flat and scrap prices are up. Time to scrap more rigs; there are lots of rigs that will never go back to work.”
“I have never felt more uncertainty about our business in my entire 40-plus-year career,” another said.

(Editor’s note: Deborah Price of Morgan City’s The Frame Shop submitted this story about efforts to save an ancient oak damaged in a recent storm.)
On the corner of Railroad and Federal avenues in Morgan City stands a mighty oak, sentinel over that patch of ground for 200+ years. She stands tall and proud, sometimes a little worn, yet her resilience and will to survive is remarkable!
This corner is one of the busiest crossroads in the city, and “Elise” is a symbol of protection and natural beauty, emphasizing our shared journeys and our connections to our surroundings. Five generations of my family have lived under her sheltering, far- reaching boughs.
So imagine my devastation when one of her limbs came down during a recent windstorm! My uncle and I stood on the porch and watched as these magnificent branches were cut into pieces and hauled away. Then the dreaded word, termites!
“She most likely can’t be saved,” we were told; she’ll probably have to come down. I was distraught. Elise couldn’t die, especially on my watch. I had to fight for her. It would have been easy to look at the damage and acquiesce to having her taken down, but I just couldn’t imagine the corner without her!
Enter a friend who has an amazing network of associates; she connected me to Joseph Evans, Horticulturist, LEED AP BD+C, and a Certified Permaculturalist, who consults, designs and manages projects with a focus on sustainability. After a lengthy conversation, Joe highly recommended Tim Benton (Benton Tree Service) a La and ISA Certified Arborist and Horticulturist, who is also ISA TRAQ (Tree Risk Assessment & Qualification) certified.
I found out Tim has 27 years in the green industry: tree care, professional grower, and landscaping; and over 20 years as a climbing Arborist. I sent pictures, we talked on the phone, and he arranged to come to Morgan City within a few days to assess the tree. During his assessment, we discussed the health of the tree, the severity of the damage, and public safety concerns. He was cautiously optimistic.
The tone of the conversation was so positive and hopeful. Instead of focusing solely on the damage, he was focused on what could be done to save her. As he explained it, it’s his job to find a good solution for both the tree and the customer, while maintaining his commitment to promoting best practices in tree care. I felt I had found the right person to help restore Elise to health; one who was on my side, who understood my attachment and how important these centenarian trees are to our place in history and our environment. Someone who holds himself to the highest standards and wouldn’t compromise on them.
Every challenge brings opportunity for growth and fresh knowledge. I’ve learned so much about our majestic Live Oak trees through this process of working with Tim and his crew. Did you know that a Live Oak’s root system can extend 1½-2 times the spread of its crown?
For Elise, that means her roots are under the railroad tracks, under a driveway, under the house, and under Federal Avenue! No wonder she, like so many urban oaks, is stressed!
So the question became, how do we relieve some of the stress so she has a chance of recovery? Tim put Mark Schmitz in charge of the job. Mark is also a LA & ISA certified Arborist. It was immediately obvious that trees are more than just a job to Tim and to Mark. They live and breathe tree care. Just listening to them is a lesson about enjoying and being passionate about your profession. So, first things first, treat the wound. Mark cleaned out the crown of the trunk and smoothed the ragged edges left by the fallen limb. Then bark tracing, a process of chiseling away any loose bark and taking it back to a point where the layers (outer bark, phloem, cambium, and sapwood) are all in good contact with each other, then applying an artificial bark which is an environmentally friendly bonding/sealing compound. All of this helps promote growth of new callus tissue and helps prevent pathogens from entering the wound.
Next step, surreptitious pruning. Tim explained that “pruning techniques are evolving to include reduction of over-extended canopy and balancing rather than stripping the interior. Trees, including Live Oak, are sensitive to sunlight and ultraviolet rays. When it’s hot in the summer, the leaves of the outer canopy shut down and stop photosynthesizing, but if interior growth is below 85E then those leaves can still make food for the tree.”
The entire process of weight reduction and selective pruning was fascinating to observe! Mark is an expert climber, and watching him rig his ropes and navigate his way around the canopy was like watching an aerial artist at work. Add a chainsaw and a hand pruning saw, and seeing how meticulous he was with choosing what to cut, his skill and knowledge were unmistakable!
Final step, protection from pests and infection. Quoting Tim’s vast knowledge again, “Science is confirming that the automatic use of chemicals is not only unnecessary, but many times can harm the tree. If a Live Oak is pushing out over 4 inches of annual growth, then nitrogen fertilization, especially synthetic fertilizers derived from petroleum, which are actually chemical salts, can be harmful to the plant. ‘Hot’ nitrogen is caustic and can burn roots as well as killing beneficial soil microbes. We are learning that natural techniques which mimic nature are absolutely the best practice for promoting the health and longevity of your tree.”
These gorgeous Live Oak Trees are natural treasures. The Centenarians have withstood so much — hurricanes, floods, pests, pollution. They are strong and resilient, but sometimes need a little (or a lot of) help along the way. There’s an ethereal quality to a Live Oak, especially before twilight when the light turns and the limbs start to glow with an amber hue. Next time you’re passing this corner, slow down, take a breath, and allow the tranquility of the tree to seep in, giving a moment’s respite during a busy day.
So the question became, how do we relieve some of the stress so she has a chance of recovery? Tim put Mark Schmitz in charge of the job. Mark is also a LA & ISA certif ied Arborist. It was immediately obvious that trees are more than just a job to Tim and to Mark. They live and breathe tree care.
Just listening to them is a lesson about enjoying and being passionate about your profession. So, first things first, treat the wound. Mark cleaned out the crown of the trunk and smoothed the ragged edges left by the fallen limb. Then bark tracing, a process of chiseling away any loose bark and taking it back
to a point where the layers (outer bark, phloem, cambium, and sapwood) are all in good contact with each other, then applying an artificial bark which is an environmentally friendly bonding/sealing compound. All of this helps promote growth of new callus
tissue and helps prevent pathogens from entering the wound.
Next step, surreptitious pruning. Tim explained that “pruning techniques are evolving to include reduction of over-extended canopy and balancing rather than stripping the interior. Trees, including Live Oak, are sensitive to sunlight and ultraviolet rays. When it’s hot in the summer, the leaves of the outer canopy shut down and stop photosynthesizing, but if interior growth is below 85° then those leaves can still make food for the tree.”
The entire process of weight reduction and selective pruning was fascinating to observe! Mark is an expert climber, and watching him rig his ropes and navigate his
way around the canopy was like watching an aerial artist at work. Add a chainsaw and a hand pruning saw, and seeing how meticulous he was with choosing what to cut, his
skill and knowledge was unmistakable!
Final step, protection from pests and infection. Quoting Tim’s vast knowledge again, “Science is confirming that the automatic use of chemicals is not only unnecessary, but many times can harm the tree. If a Live Oak is pushing out over 4 inches of annual growth, then nitrogen fertilization, especially synthetic fertilizers derived from petroleum, which are actually chemical salts, can be harmful to the plant. ‘Hot’ nitrogen is caustic and can burn roots as well as killing beneficial soil microbes. We are learning that natural techniques which mimic nature are absolutely the best practice for promoting
the health and longevity of your tree.”
These gorgeous Live Oak Trees are natural treasures. The Centenarians have withstood so much - hurricanes, floods, pests, pollution. They are strong and resilient, but sometimes need a little (or a lot of) help along the way. There’s an ethereal quality to a Live Oak, especially before twilight when the light turns and the limbs start to glow with an amber hue. Next time you’re passing this corner, slow down, take a breath, and allow the tranquility of the tree to seep in, giving a moment’s respite during a busy day.