>> Sreenivasan: ONE OF THE

SOUTHERNMOST PORTS ON THE

MISSISSIPPI RIVER IS IN BATON

ROUGE, LOUISIANA.

NEXUS MEDIA AND NEWSHOUR WEEKEND

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT JOSH

LANDIS RECENTLY RETURNED FROM

THERE WITH THIS REPORT ABOUT HOW

THOSE WHO NAVIGATE THE RIVER ARE

DEALING WITH RISING WATERS.

>> Reporter: WHEN A DROP OF

WATER FROM MINNESOTA OR A

SPECK OF SAND FROM OHIO FINALLY

REACH BATON ROUGE, THEY'VE

JOINED THE VAST SNOWMELT AND

RUNOFF FROM 31 STATES AND TWO

CANADIAN PROVINCES.

THE BASIN IS MORE THAN A MILLION

SQUARE MILES, STRETCHING FROM

MONTANA TO NEW YORK STATE.

DURING AN AVERAGE SPRING, MORE

THAN SEVEN MILLION GALLONS OF

WATER, AND ABOUT 20 TONS OF

SEDIMENT PASS UNDER THIS BRIDGE

EVERY SECOND, FOCUSING THE

CONTINENTAL FORCE OF THE

MISSISSIPPI AND BILLIONS OF

DOLLARS OF U.S. TRADE INTO A

TIGHTENING BOTTLENECK.

IN BATON ROUGE, THE

RIVER STARTS ITS FINAL DASH TO

THE OCEAN, THROUGH A 233-MILE,

MAN-MADE CHANNEL THAT SNAKES ITS

WAY INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO.

ALONG THE WAY, THE PORTS OF

BATON ROUGE, NEW ORLEANS, AND

SOUTH LOUISIANA FORM THE

GREATEST TRADING HUB IN THE

WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

STEVEN HATHORN IS PRESIDENT OF

THE NEW ORLEANS-BATON ROUGE

STEAMSHIP PILOTS ASSOCIATION.

>> I BELIEVE THE ECONOMIC EFFECT

IS AROUND $730 BILLION PER YEAR.

ONE OUT OF EVERY SIX JOBS IN

LOUISIANA IS FROM THE

MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

I LIKE TO SAY IT'S ONE OF OUR

GREATEST, PROBABLY OUR GREATEST

NATURAL RESOURCE.

>> Reporter: HATHORN HAS

NAVIGATED LARGE SHIPS UP AND

DOWN THE CHANNEL FOR DECADES.

>> OUR AREA IS ONE OF THE MOST

TREACHEROUS PILOTAGE AREAS IN

THE WORLD.

VERY CONGESTED, WITH, TENS OF

THOUSANDS OF BARGES, HUNDREDS OF

TOW BOATS.

WE HAVE, I THINK, SEVEN BRIDGES

IN BETWEEN NEW ORLEANS AND BATON

ROUGE TO NAVIGATE THROUGH.

IT CAN BE VERY TRYING ON A

PERSON.

>> Reporter: EVEN IN NORMAL

CONDITIONS, NAVIGATING THE

MISSISSIPPI IS SO CHALLENGING

THAT A SPECIALLY TRAINED LOCAL

PILOT MUST STEER EVERY

INTERNATIONAL FREIGHTER SAFELY

TO PORT.

BUT THE UNPREDICTABLE HIGH WATER

SEASON IS MAKING THAT JOB

TOUGHER.

2019'S FLOODING WAS RECORD-

SETTING FOR BOTH ITS DURATION

AND VOLUME.

>> WE'RE HAVING VESSELS THAT

WON'T STAY AT ANCHOR.

WE'VE HAD TWISTED ANCHORS,

BROKEN ANCHORS, BROKEN CHAINS.

10, 15 YEARS AGO YOU DIDN'T SEE

THAT.

>> Reporter: CAPTAIN JARED RUIZ

OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE

SHERIFF'S OFFICE DEALS WITH THE

AFTERMATH OF BROKEN CHAINS AND

TWISTED ANCHORS.

>> WE'LL COME OUT HERE AND MAKE

SURE DURING A HIGH WATER EVENT

THAT THESE TUGS ARE SECURED AND

THEY DON'T LOOK LIKE YOU KNOW

THEY'RE GOING TO COME OFF AND

HIT THE LEVY BECAUSE IF THEY DO,

THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED

DURING KATRINA.

>> Reporter: HEEDING THE LESSONS

FROM THAT HURRICANE, CAPTAIN

RUIZ NOW KEEPS A CLOSE EYE ON

PARKED BARGES.

AND ON THE CITY'S LANDMARK EAST

BANK.

>> I USE THE SIGN TO GAUGE HOW

HIGH THE WATER IS.

UH, WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'LL BE,

I'LL SAY, WELL, IT'S COVERING

HALF OF BATON ROUGE, OR IT'S

COVERING ALL OF BATON ROUGE.

>> Reporter: EARLIER THIS YEAR,

DID IT COVER IT?

>> IT COVERED IT.

IT WAS TOTALLY COVERED THIS

YEAR.

>> Reporter: THE CHALLENGES OF

HIGH WATER LEVELS ON THE

MISSISSIPPI ARE MANY.

>> RIGHT HERE IS WHERE THESE

TUGS HAVE HIT THE, THIS PYLON OF

THE BRIDGE STRUCTURE AND, YOU'LL

SEE LIKE THE LITTLE SCRAPE MARKS

AND GOUGES, YOU HAVE SOME TUGS

THAT HAVE SUCH, YOU KNOW, LIKE I

SAID, THREE FOOTBALL FIELDS

LONG.

>> Reporter: SO AS WIDE AS THIS

IS, IT'S KIND OF A TIGHT SQUEEZE

WHEN THE RIVER'S GOING.

>> YES.

>> Reporter: AND HIGH WATER HERE

CAN JOIN FORCES WITH POWERFUL

STORMS IN THE GULF.

THIS SPRING, HURRICANE BARRY

LEFT CITIES LIKE NEW ORLEANS ON

THE BRINK OF DISASTER.

>> HURRICANE SEASON, HIGHWATER

SEASON WHEN YOU HAVE THOSE

OVERLAP EACH OTHER, YOU HAVE

TROUBLE.

AND THERE WAS A GREAT FEAR HERE

THAT WHEN THE HURRICANE CAME, IT

WOULD CAUSE THE RIVER TO BACK UP

AND COME UP, AND IT WAS ALREADY

SO HIGH THAT IT WOULD FLOOD NEW

ORLEANS.

>> Reporter: 17 FEET OF HIGH

RIVER WATER LEFT THE CITY WITH

ONLY THREE FEET OF REMAINING

LEVEE PROTECTION.

THAT'S A SAFEGUARD THE HEIGHT OF

A GARDEN FENCE AGAINST THE STORM

SURGE OF A HURRICANE.

>> WE WERE LUCKY, I THINK IT

CAME UP SIX INCHES OR LESS THAN

A FOOT.

AND SO WE WERE GOOD.

BUT KATRINA, I BELIEVE IT ROSE

LIKE TEN FEET.

>> Reporter: TORRENTIAL RAINS

AND WIDESPREAD FLOODING AMBUSHED

BATON ROUGE IN 2016.

SUBMERGING ALMOST 75% OF HOMES

IN LIVINGSTON PARISH.

THE CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE RESHAPED

THE WAY MANY CITIZENS THOUGHT

ABOUT THE THREAT OF FLOODWATERS,

INCLUDING MAYOR OF THE CITY,

SHARON WESTON BROOME, WHO IS

ALSO PRESIDENT OF EAST BATON

ROUGE PARISH.

>> IF IT NEVER HAPPENS TO YOU,

YOU OFTEN THINK, "OH, I'LL BE

OKAY, I DON'T NEED TO DO

ANYTHING."

>> YOU WOULD GO IN ONE AREA ONE

DAY AND IT WOULD BE NO WATER.

AND THEN WITHIN, YOU KNOW,

HOURS, IT WOULD BE UP ON

ROOFTOPS.

AND YOU'D HAVE RIVER CURRENT

GOING THROUGH IT.

I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE

THAT.

>> I THOUGHT FOR SURE, "OH, IT'S

GOING TO GO DOWN.

IT'LL GO DOWN."

>> Reporter: THEN ORDERS CAME TO

EVACUATE.

>> LEAVING THAT SATURDAY, I

THOUGHT, "I'LL BE BACK SUNDAY."

I DIDN'T GET BACK INTO MY HOUSE

UNTIL A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER

THAT.

THAT IMPACT WAS VERY PROFOUND.

WHAT WE NOW UNDERSTAND... WE

HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WATER IN

EVERYTHING THAT WE DO,

EVERYTHING THAT WE DEVELOP,

EVERYTHING THAT WE BUILD.

WATER HAS TO BE IN THE FABRIC OF

OUR PLANNING.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING.

>> Reporter: IN A DEEP-RED STATE

WHERE TALK OF CLIMATE CHANGE CAN

STILL POLARIZE, BROOME

ADDRESSES THE ISSUE HEAD ON.

>> I HAVE LEARNED NOT TO DEBATE

CLIMATE CHANGE WITH PEOPLE.

I HAVE JUST POINTED THE FACTS TO

THEM.

WATER IS WARMER IN THE GULF.

THAT IS HAVING, SCIENTISTS ARE

TELLING US, THAT IT IS HAVING AN

EFFECT ON A LOT OF THE SHOWERS

AND DOWNPOURS THAT WE'RE

EXPERIENCING.

I'M NOT GONNA DEBATE IT.

I'M JUST GOING TO ADDRESS IT.

>> Reporter: ACCORDING TO NASA,

EARTH'S AVERAGE SURFACE

TEMPERATURE HAS INCREASED MORE

THAN ONE AND A HALF DEGREES

FAHRENHEIT, MAINLY AS A RESULT

OF BURNING FOSSIL FUELS.

WARMER AIR HOLDS MORE MOISTURE,

LEADING TO MORE EXTREME RAIN AND

SNOW.

WARMER WATERS PROVIDE MORE FUEL

FOR HURRICANES, WHICH SCIENTISTS

SAY ARE GETTING MORE POWERFUL.

ALL OF THIS ADDS UP TO REGIONS

LIKE THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA BEING

TRAPPED BY FULLER RIVERS AND

RISING SEAS.

STEVEN HATHORN, WHO KNOWS THIS

PART OF THE RIVER BETTER THAN

ALMOST ANYONE, HAS NOTICED THE

CHANGE.

>> I THINK IT'S PROBABLY A LOT

OF LITTLE THINGS ADDING UP TO

GET US WHERE WE'RE AT.

THE RIVER IS DIKED, DAMMED,

THAT'S INCREASED THE CURRENT

IN IT.

YOU ALSO HAVE A LOT OF

DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE RIVER,

WHICH PROBABLY PUSHES THE WATER

BACK INTO IT.

I'M NOT GOING TO DISCOUNT

CLIMATE CHANGE EITHER.

THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT SOME THAT

COULD HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH

IT, TOO.

AT THE END OF THE DAY,

THOUGH,THE RIVER IS GOING TO BE

HIGH.

WE'RE UNDER THE GUN ON THAT.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THIS BECOMES THE

NEW NORM?

YOU KNOW, I MEAN EVERYBODY, I

THINK IS SAYING A LITTLE PRAYER

THAT IT WON'T.