NEW ORLEANS — After days of lumbering toward the Gulf Coast, the storm system Karen dissipated Sunday as storm preparations in the region were called off or scaled back.
As tides began to recede along coastal Louisiana, crews worked to pick up sandbags and some fishermen took to the water. In Lafitte, the tide had water levels along Bayou Barataria lapping at the edges of piers and sections of the main roadway into the small fishing village prone to flooding.
"We're very lucky," fisherman Ken LeBeau said. He added that he was anxious to get out shrimping Sunday — while the tide is up, shrimp may be farther inland; fisherman don't have to venture as far out to catch them.
Projected Path
The community has been swamped with flooding by several storms since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Many are just recovering from Hurricane Isaac last summer. Some are in the process of having their homes raised, and Mayor Timothy Kerner said levees are being planned for the area.
"It was a blessing from God that we actually dodged a bullet this time," Kerner said. He estimated that 40,000 sandbags had been put out and said the precautionary measure was worth it: "It's always easier to pick up sandbags than to clean up a flood.
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