A levee gate. Credit: Michael Isaac Stein / WWNO

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Improvements to the federal hurricane protection system means New Orleans is better prepared for storms than ever before. But just outside the levees, coastal land loss continues to be a threat.

For example, like many wetlands in southeast Louisiana, the New Orleans East Land Bridge is disappearing. If nothing is done to protect it, most of it could be underwater in 50 years.

To address the threat of coastal land loss, experts say officials need to come to terms with what it means to be a coastal city.

Della Hasselle explains from outside the levees.

“New Orleans: Ready or Not?” is a six-part series. In collaboration with WWNO, we explore how prepared the city is for the threats that climate change will bring.

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Della Hasselle, a freelance journalist and producer, reports environmental and criminal justice stories for The Lens. A graduate of Benjamin Franklin High School and the New Orleans Center for Creative...