8 projects geared at making New Orleans more storm-ready
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Green Light New Orleans started after Hurricane Katrina and has installed more than 3,000 rain barrels across the city. Photo: Courtesy of Green Light New Orleans
New Orleans and Jefferson Parish leaders say the region is better prepared for storms now than it was 20 years ago when Hurricane Katrina hit.
Why it matters: Billions have gone into new levees, the power grid and community projects, though climate change means the work is never done.
The big picture: The most ambitious undertaking was strengthening the region's levee and floodwall system.
- The Army Corps of Engineers finished it in 2018, creating a 133-mile perimeter around the greater New Orleans region with the world's biggest pumping station and the largest surge barrier.
- The project cost upwards of $12 billion, according to The Times-Picayune.
Yes, but: A new study from Tulane University says some of the levees and floodwalls are sinking faster than sea level is rising.
- That means the protection could fall short sooner than expected.
Other projects:
🌾 Living shorelines: Jefferson Parish is using rock jetties and a newly built marsh in Bucktown to create a protective barrier for the levee.
- It's the first time this type of project has been used to protect a federal levee system, NOAA says.
- Officials are looking at a similar project in Irish Bayou to strengthen storm surge protection. There's a community meeting Aug. 11 at Joe Brown Park.
🏠 Stronger roofs: Louisiana has a grant program to help homeowners strengthen their roofs to better withstand hurricane-force winds.
⚡️ Microgrids: New Orleans now has multiple buildings through Community Lighthouses and "Get Lit, Stay Lit" with solar panels that offer charging stations and places to cool off during widespread outages.
- Entergy also is hardening its grid.
Rain barrels: Green Light New Orleans volunteers have installed more than 3,000 rain barrels to reduce flash flooding.
- They are having a special Katrina installation event Wednesday (Aug. 6).
- Plus, neighborhoods are incorporating more stormwater management tactics, such as bioswales and rain gardens.
🔨 Pavement replacement: The Urban Conservancy has a Front Yard Initiative to improve the city's stormwater capacity by providing technical assistance to homeowners to replace their paved yards with permeable materials that let water soak through. The organization previously offered reimbursements to homeowners as part of the initiative, but that is currently on pause.
- Parkway Poboys is experimenting with a porous parking lot, The Lens says. There's a pervious concrete test in the Lower 9th Ward, too.
🌳 Trees: The NOLA Tree Project has planted 86,000 trees since Katrina in parks, neutral grounds, schools and neighborhoods.
- Trees are essential for stormwater management and reducing heat-island effects, along with providing habitat for wildlife.
- The Nature Conservancy also is planting native trees in southeast Louisiana to help dampen winds from storms, says Seth Blitch, the organization's director of conservation in Louisiana.
🚧 Coastal restoration: Outside the city, Louisiana is racing to restore its disappearing coast.
- Glass Half Full is turning recycled glass into sand that can be used to replenish wetlands and fill sandbags.
- And, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has about 100 active projects geared at marsh creation, shoreline protection and storm surge protection, according to The Center Square.
What we're watching: The state recently canceled the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion — once a marquee project to rebuild land and better protect the coast — due to rising costs and ongoing lawsuits.
The bottom line: Much has been done, but climate change is speeding up the clock for this vulnerable region.
- Storms are stronger, rainfall is more intense and Louisiana is experiencing some of the highest rates of land loss in the world.
- And, in some parts of the state, the relative sea rise is nearly four times the global rate, the EPA says.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note that the Urban Conservative currently provides resources (not money) to homeowners.