Every week WWNO's Listening Post project asks questions about local news in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and reports back on the community's response.
A month ago we ran a segment about coastal erosion. And you, our loyal Listening Posters, were kind enough to share questions you had on the topic.
Today we have some answers for you.
Starting with that nagging statistic about coastal erosion that gets thrown around: at what rate are we losing football field-sized portions of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands?
To set the record straight, we talked to Mark Schleifstein, the science reporter for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. He’s been covering coastal issues in the region for more than 30 years.
Listening Post: How often do we actually lose a football field of land?
Mark Schleifstein: I think it’s every 30 minutes. But that’s a changeable number, as based on increasing sea level rise.
LP: What plans exist to relocate communities affected by erosion?
MS: To say that they have plans would not be accurate. What would be accurate is that they have a plan written into the state’s master plan to come up with plans to figure out what to do with people. What it means is either buying people out who live in the worst flood-prone areas, or actually building their homes higher, going ahead and raising them significantly, to the point where they’ll still be able to get flood insurance.
LP: How long do we have before we reach a tipping point and can’t reverse the problem?
MS: We’re actually beyond that tipping point. We’ve lost 1,750 sq miles of the coast, and we’re in danger of losing another 1,300, 1,400 sq miles. The 1,750 we lost, we’re not going to get back. And we’re going to continue to lose, until we get to a point where these projects that are proposed are beginning to work. The state master plan calls for that point to be somewhere around 2035. So we’ve got a ways to go before we start seeing even a no net loss of wetlands in Louisiana.
We didn't have time in our segment for our entire conversation, but here's some bonus audio of Mark explaining the effects of dead zones along the coast:
For the last word in our segment we head down the coast to visit with Gail Serigny Hayes, who runs a family-owned bait shop in Leeville.
The town sits 13 miles outside the nearest levee, and has seen much of its nearby wetlands washed away. Leeville has less than 100 residents and may not survive the combination of coastal erosion and sea level rise.
“On an extreme high tide, I get water in here. but, it’s not something you ever get used to. It’s just something you learn to deal with. When you like what you do, you do what you have to,” Hayes says.
To make sure flooding doesn’t destroy her inventory, Hayes has created display sets on her walls that can fold up and attach to the ceiling when there’s a threat of water.
“So I take everything out from the bottom, and hang everything else up. And if I lose my roof, I lose everything, I have to replace it,” she says.
She says she knows it’s a hard way of life, and she wants to stick it out as long as she can.
“As long as this building stays together, I’ll keep coming back. But if ever the building is destroyed. I’m not rebuilding again.”
Most people don’t know that the Listening Post has a little sister, the Listening Coast, who is looking for a few good voices. If you live in the 985, and you’d like to join, text the word COAST to our project number: 985-200-2433.
And if you’re in New Orleans, join our project by texting the word “hello” to 504-224-5314.
Next week we’re taking our show to City Hall to share your thoughts on problems and solutions in New Orleans.
Take a look at our Questions of the Week. When you text or call our number (504-224-5314) you'll receive these questions on your phone. You can answer by text or voicemail.
We collect answers all week, then pick a few to highlight on our radio segment.
Who knows... your questions and concerns might just make it to City Hall. Tune in next week for a special guest!
Hit us up… we’ll see YOU at the Listening Post
