The start of hurricane season is June 1, kicking off a long summer of anxiety for the region, but we’re focusing on the good news, and that is that The Greater New Orleans region is served by two levee authorities — Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority East and  West.

This week, we’re talking about SLFPA — West, which encompasses more than 80 miles of levees, floodgates and floodwalls protecting the West Bank of Jefferson and Orleans parishes. What does the system look like? How does it work? Who is doing the work? Regional Director Jesse Noel gives us some surprising insights.