Joseph Delaune

Hometown

Cutoff, Louisiana

Generation

Gen Z

Does land loss affect you?

I think living in South Louisiana, land loss is a very big part of living down here. We lose roughly a football field of land every hundred minutes, which is about 35 to 45 miles of land each year, and as the coast gets closer and closer, the storms get stronger and stronger.

What are you doing about land loss?

I myself don’t do nearly enough about it. I think people in general should be taking a proactive stance on it; encouraging the funding of restoration programs, and educating people about it in general.

To Future Generations: I would say educate yourself. We have phones, we have computers, we can do research. Support government efforts to slow or stop erosion, and as sad as it sounds, be prepared to have to leave, because soon enough, we’ll have to start evacuating.

Why do you plan to leave Louisiana?

I plan on leaving because as we lose land, things like insurance get more expensive, the cost to repair homes is expensive, the price of living here is just really expensive, and as coastal erosion continues, and as the coast gets closer and closer inland, life just gets more and more expensive, so fleeing the coast is the more affordable and safer option.

Lost Bayou Series

South Louisiana