Louisiana - In Six Delta Parishes, Some Adaptation, More Migration As Populations Begin To Leave
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The plan, Louisiana's Strategic Adaptations for Future Environments (LA SAFE), looks at future flood risks in six coastal parishes and recommends a series of policy changes that could help mitigate those risks—from enhanced transportation routes to elevated houses and new urban centers.
Climate change will only exacerbate the flood risks across the state, the report says. Louisiana's ability to adapt will dictate just how coastal communities are able to survive. "There are ways for us to make coastal communities more livable, resilient and viable post-disaster, just by making the whole community more resilient ... so that businesses and government services can all get back to work more quickly after a disaster," said Pat Forbes, executive director of Louisiana's Office of Community Development, which produced the report along with the Foundation for Louisiana.
In other areas, people will have little choice but to leave as the water rises. The plan, in a departure from many adaptation reports, also focuses on how inland areas can prepare for an influx of new residents from the coasts. "There's a sort of self-displacement that's occurring over the past 15 years or so," Forbes said. As large numbers of people move out of coastal communities, the shift is likely a sign that they are sick of flooding, worried about inability to get to schools or jobs or unable to pay rising flood insurance rates. "I'm sure it's a combination of all those things and more," he said.
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Acy Cooper, Jr., a 58-year-old shrimper in Venice, Louisiana, has seen the changes described in LA SAFE first hand. Cooper comes from a family of shrimpers—his 83-year-old father is still at it, as are all three of Cooper's kids. "We were all hopeless after Katrina—we lost everything," Cooper said. "We went back and rebuilt, but we have to prepare ourselves for the next time. There's gonna be a next time." From 2000 to 2010, Venice lost half its population, according to the U.S. Census. Cooper has seen friends and family leave, and he bought a house further inland, too. But he plans to stay in Venice as long as he can.
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https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17052019/louisiana-climate-migration-plan-retreat-sea-level-rise-global-warming
