The Origin and Future of Louisianas Crisis of Vulnerability

John Lopez, Ph. D. Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation Building Resiliency Workshop V March 13, 2014 SaveOurLake.org

49 miles X 49 miles

From 1932 to 2006, 2,400 square miles of land lost to the sea

Louisianas Crisis of Vulnerability

Task Force Hope

Hurricane Katrina surge, Note: 5-foot reduction across 14 miles = 1/2.8 miles

Attached Peak Surge

Interagency Evaluation Performance Task Force, March 2006

Multiple Lines of Defense and Hydrologic Habitat Restoration

Without surge

Detached Peak Surge

With surge

Source: Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation & Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 2008)

Multiple Lines of Defense and Hydrologic Habitat Restoration

With attached peak surge

Detached Peak Surge

With detached peak surge

Source: Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation & Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 2008)

Coastal Louisiana can survive without:

Shrimp Creole Boiled Crabs Thanksgiving oyster dressing Mardi Gras Crawfish Pirogues Jambalaya birding Jazz Cajun waltz Bayous French Quarter Duck hunting Kayaking King cake Blues Jazz Fest River boats Tabasco Beignets

Coastal Louisiana cannot survive without:

Coastal restoration

As the late Sen. Hainkel once said

Without Coastal restoration nothing else matters