As one of the four states situated along the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana has experienced a progressive recession in its coastlines. As early as the 1930’s, research groups have deduced that more than 1,900 square miles of land have already been lost to sea, with these figures increasing every day. Experts claim that this region of the United States is among the fastest disappearing lands on the planet.
Facing the Current Problem
According to the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), the continuous rise in sea levels are showing disturbing patterns when it comes to loss of land along the Louisiana gulf coast, especially in wetlands, marshes and swamp areas. If government officials won’t act now to protect these areas, more than 1,750 square miles of land may soon disappear.
Experts explain that these wetlands act as natural barriers against storm surges, keeping floods from reaching inland and devastating urban areas. If these coastal areas are allowed to erode away, flooding may become more extreme in the future, and possibly more damaging compared to the August 2016 Louisiana Floods. Costs of relief and rehabilitation may grow tenfold, reaching over $20 billion annually. Read more from this blog: http://bit.ly/2n51QTv
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