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Coast Protects Against Storms

Posted on: Tuesday, 12 July 2005, 18:00 CDT

So far, Louisiana has been lucky to dodge the worst of two recent storms visiting the Gulf Coast, Tropical Storm Cindy and Hurricane Dennis.

Even so, the storms should serve as a reminder of Louisiana's increased vulnerability to storm damage because of its compromised coastline.

Louisiana's wetlands serve as a natural barrier to incoming storms. Hundreds of acres of wetlands have been lost as a result of coastal erosion, making that storm barrier less effective. The coast has lost ground for a number of reasons. A major factor has been a reduction in the silt deposits at the mouth of the Mississippi River that help replenish land mass along the coast. Levee systems along the river have girdled the river's natural ability to sweep the land and bring life-sustaining nutrients to the coast. Poorly regulated industrial activity also contributed to the coast's decline. An energy bill that would bring millions of dollars in coastal- restoration funds to Louisiana is pending in Congress.

The need for such restoration is great, as evidenced by the damage caused by Tropical Storm Cindy in the New Orleans area. In the past, such storms would have caused only minor damage in the Crescent City. But because of wetlands loss, the full force of the storm reached inland areas - flooding streets, damaging property and leaving 287,000 people without power, the worst power outage in New Orleans in 40 years.

"Tropical Storm Cindy demonstrated that with advanced coastal erosion in Louisiana, widespread disruptions and impact now result from a strong storm," said Mark Davis, executive director of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. More than 5,000 square miles of wetlands present a barrier to storms hitting Louisiana's coast. But since the 1930s, Louisiana has lost almost 2,000 square miles of its protective wetlands, with another 500 square miles expected to be lost during the next 50 years.

That will make hurricane season, already a troublesome reality in south Louisiana, an even-darker prospect.

Source: Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.

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