Vermilion Parish, two other parishes unite to form coastal protection board

Vermilion Parish, along with Calcasieu and Cameron parishes, just got a little closer to getting help to save their coastlines.

On Thursday, a group of nine people, consisting of the Chenier Plain Restoration and Protection Authority Board, had their first meeting in Abbeville.

The board, which is like a levee district board, was created in 2010 during the regular legislative session. The board will work on projects that will benefit the three coastal parishes.

It will meet at least once every three months.

The board met in the Vermilion Parish Courthouse in the police jury meeting room.

Sen. Blade Morrish, who helped write legislature to create the board, welcomed the board and also educated them on what its mission is. Sen. Morrish, of Cameron Parish, said he attended state coastal restorations meetings, and the southwest part of Louisiana was hardly mentioned to receive money for coastal projects. He was told by state authorities that the southern coastline gets left out of coastal funding because the area does not have a levee board like southeast Louisiana has had since the 1940s.

Southwest Louisiana has no such thing.

“We do today,” said Sen. Morrish about the newly created Chenier Plain Restoration and Protection Authority. “We have a lot of catching up to do. I think it is important for the coast of southwest Louisiana and for hurricane protection, and the restoration of our coast.

“Today is historic.”

The board consists of three members from each parish.

Vermilion Parish’s board members are:

• Al Vidrine of Abbeville. Vidrine is the general manager of Omega Protein.

• Skie Segrera of Esther. She is an engineer with Fenstermaker and Associates.

• Earl Landry of Erath. He owns an industrial and oil service company.

The first duties of the board is to select a chairman and vice chairman, along with officers.

With the creation of the board, the board can now go after federal dollars to fund restoration projects in the three parishes. It will be up to the board to decide what projects get priority over others in the parishes.