Back 40 years ago the Army Corps of Engineers had a plan to build real flood barriers - but guess what - the environmental group "Save Our Wetlands" filed a suit in court to stop it:
"The crux of the suit was that the control structures would sharply reduce the natural flow of ocean water into the lake, damaging shellfish and other aquatic life. Opponents were convinced that the barriers would cause an environmental disaster. They said it would drain the wetlands, leaving it "extremely susceptible to hurricane tidal surges."
from
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...adlines-nation
Of course the funniest part is none of the people that were involved in the suit could be reached recently for comment about Katrina - all of their houses were underwater
