Three members of a board overseeing New Orleans area flood protection have resigned in protest over controversial changes being pursued by an adviser to Gov. Jeff Landry, who critics say risks weakening reforms put in place following Hurricane Katrina.
The resignations, effective Monday, leave the board at risk of being paralyzed as storm season approaches. In order to act, the board needs a five-member quorum. With the three members’ resignations, the board is left with only six members.
At the same time, their departures may allow Landry’s administration to replace them with board members less likely to oppose changes being sought, which include giving the governor more power over board appointments. The agency, officially known as the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, oversees a complex system of levees and pumps rebuilt in the wake of Katrina on the New Orleans area’s east bank…