How sweltering nights in New Orleans are tied to the August flooding in Baton Rouge
With climate change, it's not just the heat — it’s the humidity.
Author: Bob Marshall
- About Bob Marshall
- From 2013 to 2017, Bob Marshall covered environmental issues for The Lens, with a special focus on coastal restoration and wetlands. While at The Times-Picayune, his work chronicling the people, stories and issues of Louisiana
As coastal money flows to parishes, advocates keep wary watch on spending
Continuing revenue sharing from offshore oil development and money from BP fines will bring more than $1.5 billion to coastal parishes in the next four decades. State officials hope strong regulation coupled with the prospect of matching money will have parish leaders proposing projects to benefit coastal protection.
With a huge bill about to come due, state will ask feds to forgive debt for new levees
Already, Louisiana caught a break in not being required to pay its share up front.
New surfaces absorb rain, helping property owners, drivers and environment
It's a simple concept: The less rainwater that gets into the city's drainage system, the easier it is on the pumping equipment. And researchers now know that keeping our water table charged helps reduce subsidence. An increasingly common way to address both is the use of surfaces that let water seep through into the ground below.
After flood officials ransomed their data, colleagues say protection is in place
Lake Borgne Basin Levee District leader said the incident didn't affect gate or pump operations.
Mosquito control officials say New Orleans actively fending off the Zika virus
When you live in a sub-tropical zone with no shortage of swamps and other wetlands, you get pretty good at looking out for and controlling mosquitoes. New Orleans officials say their tried-and-true methods of vigilance and attack make them well equipped to address the potential spread of the Zika virus.
Fate of Louisiana coast could be determined by Antarctica ice melt
If global temperatures rise less than 2 degrees Celsius by 2100, little will change in Antarctica, which means sea-level rise could be manageable and Louisiana’s coastal plan might succeed. Fail at that goal, and the result could be more than six feet of sea-level rise by 2100, innundating most of Louisiana’s southern third, even with the master plan finished.
Nothing neutral about the fight over the rebuilding of Napoleon Avenue median
Councilwoman Stacy Head is leading a revolt against the crown.
Here’s a FEMA map that actually delivers good news for New Orleans
Green will become the favorite color for thousands of New Orleans property owners when the new FEMA flood maps finally become official at the end of the month. That’s because it codes areas that will move out of flood zones and into areas with no insurance requirements – and the new map shows it washing over large sections of the city.
Raft of bills seeks to remove protections for dedicated coastal-restoration money
Coastal advocates say shifting money now would be short-sighted and damage the state's national efforts.
