Opening of Hurricane Season a Timely Reminder of Urgent Need for Coastal Restoration

(New Orleans, LA—May 28, 2015) Prior to the June 1 start of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season, national and local conservation groups working together on Mississippi River Delta restoration– Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana – issued the following statement:

“The start of the 2015 hurricane season and the approaching 10^th anniversaries of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are powerful reminders of the need to restore Louisiana’s coast in order to better protect our communities.  

“The looming storm season should serve as a warning flag to state and federal officials of the urgency for implementing and fully funding science-based coastal restoration solutions. Wetlands serve as the primary line of defense against storm surge for New Orleans, Houma, Lake Charles and all of Louisiana’s coastal communities. Restoring the Mississippi River Delta and Chenier Plain are the cornerstones of the Multiple Lines of Defense Strategy, which incorporates natural and manmade features to better protect this vital region.

“Without restoration of Louisiana’s coast, other efforts to protect against storm surge and damage will provide little more than stopgap solutions. The destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 10 years ago demonstrated the urgent need to fortify and restore coastal barrier islands, cheniers and wetlands, to provide strong storm defenses that can work in concert with levees and other structural solutions.

“Our coast is disappearing at the alarming rate of a football field every hour. As our wetlands disappear, so does the natural protection they provide for millions of coastal residents, hundreds of billions of dollars in oil and gas infrastructure, one of the nation’s most productive seafood industries and its critical navigation system.

“Nearly 10 years after Katrina and Rita, we urge the RESTORE Council to fund large-scale restoration projects in the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan and for the Louisiana Legislature to fully implement this plan before it’s too late.”  

Background:

Louisiana has made important strides in the 10 years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Federal and state authorities have:

• Instituted the 2012 Coastal Master Plan for restoring Louisiana’s coast and protecting coastal communities.
• Created the RESTORE Council to prioritize funding for restoration projects with fines received from BP and other companies responsible for the 2010 Gulf oil disaster.
• Closed the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) channel that increased Hurricane Katrina’s destructive power in the greater New Orleans area.
• Started implementing over 200 projects across 20 parishes, including those aimed at rebuilding and protecting marshes, barrier islands and other natural buffers.

But there is a long road ahead before meaningful and sustainable restoration is achieved. For the benefit of all Louisianans and Americans for generations to come, as hurricane season begins, we ask:

• The RESTORE Council to include projects from the 2012 Coastal Master Plan in its final comprehensive restoration plan, including the 19 priority projects our coalition identified for achieving significant progress.
• The Louisiana Legislature to prioritize coastal restoration and fully implement the 2012 Coastal Master Plan for sustaining the state’s coast.
• Our next governor to make coastal restoration chief among his or her administration’s priorities and to protect existing and work to secure future coastal restoration funding.
• Develop the state’s 2017 Coastal Master Plan with a focus on the best science-based solutions available to achieve large-scale restoration and long-term protection.

As you report on this year’s hurricane season and/or Hurricane Katrina anniversary, please contact us if you’d like to speak with one of our experts. For more information on the projects that can save Louisiana’s coast, please visit: http://www.mississippiriverdelta.org/restoration-projects/map/.