5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina: A Time for Better Decisions that Keep People out of Harm's Way

September 1, 2010 | Floods & Floodplains, Small Streams & Wetlands, Protecting Rivers

Shana Udvardy
Director, Flood Management Policy

While this summer’s news headlines have been dominated by the unprecedented BP oil spill disaster, it makes sense to reflect on the five year anniversary of the previous worst ecological and economic disaster to hit the Gulf Coast – Hurricane Katrina.

With oil still washing ashore from the BP oil spill and another hurricane season upon us, the hard times in New Orleans keep getting harder.  Years of poor decision making, from damming up rivers, building flood control structures that provide a false sense of security, and unmitigated pollution from agriculture and urban areas, have destroyed wetlands and made the Mississippi and other Gulf rivers more vulnerable to both human and natural disasters.

As New Orleans continues to recover from the BP oil spill and Katrina, news stories across the country tell of communities in danger from flood events where families are forced to abandon their homes and days are filled with placing sand bags as a last line of defense. Similar to New Orleans, many of these communities have relied upon structural flood control, like dams and levees, in an attempt to contain flood waters.  Despite taxpayer’s investment in flood control structures, we continue to see stories of communities in danger, and the nation’s annual flood damages have continued to grow, now exceeding $6 billion a year.

These tragedies serve as a reminder that protecting and restoring America’s green infrastructure must be a national priority.

Because wetlands and floodplains act as natural sponges, storing and slowly releasing floodwaters after peak flood flows have passed, they help communities keep out of harm’s way and prepare themselves for a wetter, stormier world in which there are more people and homes to protect.

Restoring all of the elements needed for healthy wetlands and floodplains, including healthy rivers that feed wetlands with the sediment, nutrients and freshwater flows, mitigates the impacts of these disasters when they come, and helps avoid long term disasters like threats to public health and loss of wildlife. 

While the Senate failed to take any action on the BP oil spill before going on August recess, when they return next month they should ensure funding is available to restore the Gulf Coast wetlands to better than it was before BP oil spill and Hurricane Katrina.  They should also make sure funding is available to restore all of our Nation’s wetlands and floodplains.
 
This action would recognize the natural flood fighting ability of healthy rivers, wetlands, floodplains, and upland areas and make communities safer and more livable.

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