October 2024: Restoration After a Natural Disaster

In light of the recent and projected hurricane-related tragedies in the Southeast, I wanted to share a positive story looking into what steps are taken toward restoring the natural environment after such a disaster. 

While natural disasters such as hurricanes pose threats to the economic, social, and mental health of the communities they impact, the effect on the environment is likewise important to explore. While the well-being of the residents is foremost a priority, I also strive to make the point that the environment, in its natural state, has the potential to protect human populations.

In my research, I found a story about the resilience of the community in New Orleans, continually fighting for themselves and their environment following Hurricane Katrina. Katrina, which struck New Orleans in 2005, most dramatically affected the community of the Lower Ninth Ward. The news outlets attributed the disproportionate effects to the failure of the cities levies, but in reality, the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans was hit the hardest due to the alternation of the natural waterways in the 1950’s. The area was historically dominated by freshwater swamps with thick cypress groves, which can act as a barrier and reduce the height and speed of storm surges. In a NOAA sponsored podcast from July of this year, the host, John Sheehan, stated “the saltwater had already been infiltrating the area and Katrina hit, and we all remember Katrina, but I think what's less repeated is how much worse it was because that channel of salt water was opened up right to the Lower Ninth Ward.”

While the devastation of Katrina is irreversible, the Central Wetlands Reforestation Collective is setting out to prevent further destruction from future natural disasters. CWRC received $1.2 million in federal funding with the intention of restoring the historical Bayou Bienvenue, which would serve as an environmental buffer zone, reducing the impacts of hurricanes and other climate change-related environmental effects. The CWRC is a collective of various government and non-government entities that have come together to support the Coastal Louisiana communities and restore their green spaces. While the new grant money will go towards restoring the Bienvenu Bayou, the CWRC also participates in coastal wetland native plant repopulation and an oyster shell recycling program which uses oyster shells as living shoreline installations.

This summary just skims the surface of the work being done in New Orleans and similar hurricane-affected communities. You can listen to the 18 minute NOAA podcast, or visit the CWRC website.