Wetland Issues Exposed in Wake of Hurricane Katrina

Seven months after the release of a national survey that showed most Americans did not believe a tsunami-like disaster could happen on U.S. soil, the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina has painted a more sobering picture. Louisiana’s wetlands represent 30 percent of the coastal wetlands in the lower 48, but 90 percent of the coastal wetland loss. This vast, disappearing region has historically served as a natural speed bump for hurricanes and the storm surge they produce. The state’s wetlands protect the world’s largest port system by tonnage and the infrastructure responsible for transporting 30 percent of the oil and natural gas consumed in the United States. In addition, coastal Louisiana provides essential habitat for animal, plant and marine species. Yet these protective wetlands have been disappearing at the rate of 24 square miles per year, leaving low-lying areas dangerously exposed to major storms. “Because of continuing land loss, many of coastal Louisiana’s populated areas, including New Orleans, are almost completely exposed to the Gulf of Mexico,” said Valsin A. Marmillion, a spokesperson for America’s WETLAND: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana. “The sad irony of the situation is that the Mississippi River levees, which were constructed to protect lives in […]

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