Communities on the Edge

Communities along the coast are threatened by growing land loss.

According to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), Louisiana has lost almost 2,000 square miles of land since the 1930s, with an additional 3,000 square miles of land potentially being lost in the next 50 years. But this isn’t just land, it’s communities like Isle de Jean Charles, Cocodrie and Venice.

“A narrow strip of land, that’s where everyone lives now,” says Kerry St. Pé, former director of BTNEP and Port Sulphur native.

The loss of land, homes, and culture that St. Pé felt in his home is something that almost all coastal residents can relate to.

“The house that I grew up in,” St. Pe says. “I flew over Port Sulphur, and I couldn’t see our home.”

When land is lost, homes are lost, and, eventually, culture is lost.

“I know you view things differently as a child, but still, the land that I can remember was so much larger than what we have now,” says Chad Willingham, a native of Grand Isle. “The marsh behind Grand Isle, you did not always see these large portions of water.”

The barrier islands and marshes help reduce storm surge, according to the CPRA. The loss of these islands and marshes only increases the risk of flooding, leading to further land loss.

Willingham says, “It’s one thing for a scientist to say ‘you lose a football field of wetlands every hour’ and that’s staggering, but it doesn’t have the same effect on somebody unless they live in it and they can tell you what it feels like to experience a situation like that.”