MORGAN CITY — Morgan City's decades-old flood walls protect the coastal city from devastation from hurricanes and other floods. 

The concrete walls guard against floods that could swallow streets and homes in a matter of hours. 

It was a system born out of necessity after repeated flooding from the Atchafalaya River, including a flood in 1973 that left much of the area underwater. The walls, built as part of the federal flood control system, are designed to hold back river water when it pushes towards dangerous heights. 

"The plan was presented to the city to build a concrete slab down Main Street," architect Jim Firmin, who was brought on to help design the flood wall system, said. "I didn't particularly like that idea, so I came up with this idea of having something to engage the city with it." 

He designed a walkway atop the flood wall, allowing people to see the river from the walls themselves. 

The walls have also become a canvas to depict the city's shrimping heritage. 

For Morgan City, they represent resilience, culture and the unbreakable bond between the community and the water that surrounds it.