LAFAYETTE (AP) — Two floodgates are planned in Iberia and Vermilion parishes that supporters say could hold back some of the storm surge such as when water pushed into homes when Hurricane Rita hit southwest Louisiana in 2005.

The Advocate reported the Iberia Parish Levee, Hurricane and Conservation District is moving forward with the design and permitting of a new floodgate on the Delcambre Canal, and the Vermilion Parish Police Jury has laid the groundwork for a companion project on Bayou Tigre.

The two waterways serve as routes for hurricane storm surges to push inland from Vermilion Bay.

The idea is to build a large structure that can be closed as a hurricane approaches, making a temporary dam of sorts to hold back the water.

In Iberia Parish, the floodgate on the Delcambre Canal is part of a larger planned project to build a 26-mile levee across the parish.

“This is our first stake in the ground,” said Patrick Broussard, with the Iberia Levee, Hurricane and Conservation District.

The levee project is estimated to cost $420 million.