Exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in southern Louisiana, another major hurricane blew into the state. On August 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida came ashore at Port Fourchon with sustained winds of 150 miles (240 kilometers) per hour. The tide surged in some places up to 14 feet above sea level and slammed into marshes and swamps west of the Mississippi River, eroding soil and vegetation.

“Wetlands in southern Louisiana have taken a real beating from hurricanes in recent years,” said Chris Potter, an ecologist at NASA’s Ames Research Center. Although multiple natural and human-caused processes contribute to land loss along the coast, Potter has observed signatures of lasting storm damage after some of the strongest storms—especially Hurricanes Ida (2021) and Katrina (2005).

In a recent study, Potter documented wetland loss in Louisiana between 2000 and 2022 using data from the Landsat satellites. In 2021, Hurricane Ida was especially destructive to the marshlands and swamplands of Barataria Basin, just inland from Barataria Bay. The images above show Barataria Basin in September 2015 (left) compared to September 2021 (right), just after Hurricane Ida hit. Green vegetation in the wetlands around Little Lake turned to open water.

Potter found that following Ida, more than 680 square kilometers of wetlands in Barataria Basin and Terrebonne Basin (west of Barataria Bay) transformed into open water. The map below shows where wetlands in southern Louisiana disappeared after Ida, as calculated by Potter comparing Landsat data from June 2021 to September 2021. The analysis looked at the difference between pixels identified as water before and after Ida. Land loss occurred along most of the southern-facing shorelines of the Barataria Basin.

Oil and gas exploration, oil spills, rising sea levels, and subsidence also contribute to land loss in the region. Potter found that, in addition to tropical storms, oil pollution left behind from the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010 contributed to wetland degradation in Barataria Bay. The presence of oil likely damaged the marsh’s vegetation above and below the ground, reducing the stability of the surrounding soil and making the marsh more vulnerable to erosion. Heavily oiled wetlands experienced more loss than those that were less polluted, according to Potter. He noted that oil residues were still present in Barataria Basin in 2023.

Southern Louisiana’s coast is a latticework of shrinking marshes, swamps, and barrier islands. No other coastline in the contiguous United States has changed as much in recent decades. By one estimate, Louisiana lost approximately 4,800 square kilometers of land from 1932 to 2016—an area that amounts to approximately 25 percent of the state’s 1932 extent.

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, much of the land lost in coastal Louisiana was due to oil and gas exploration and subsidence, said Potter, rather than tropical storms. He attributed the extent of recent topical storms’ damage on wetlands to their increased strength. According to the National Climate Assessment, the intensity of hurricanes in the North Atlantic has increased since the 1980s. “Category 4 or 5 storms were quite rare in the Gulf Coast until recently,” said Potter. “Now every couple of years we get them.” There is also growing consensus among scientists that in a warmer world, with higher sea surface temperatures, tropical storms in the Atlantic will get stronger still.

Louisiana is working to restore and rebuild marshes and swamps that dampen storm surge from hurricanes. One method is constructing sediment diversions that aim to replenish sediment and nutrients to coastal wetlands. Potter said that by using data from Landsat satellites, scientists can monitor the benefits of such projects.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Emily Cassidy.

Community Deathcare organization Wake has joined forces with Barro y Luna Media, Arts & Community Care to unveil the debut of Legados de Luisiana (Louisiana Legacies) podcast, featuring oral histories of Louisiana’s Latin American elders. The event, hosted by Puentes New Orleans, takes place Wednesday, May 15, 2024, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Beanlandia (3300 Royal Street New Orleans, LA 70117).

Legados de Luisiana is a groundbreaking oral history series aimed at preserving and raising awareness of the rich experiences of Louisiana’s Latin American elders. The series will debut publicly as a podcast, accompanied by a live listening event with Q&A and refreshments.

The project is spearheaded by Carolina Murriel of Barro y Luna, a trauma-trained immigration journalist and death doula originally from Peru, and Wake, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to meaningful, affordable, and environmentally sustainable deathcare.

“It’s important to me to highlight that people of Latin American heritage have been in Louisiana for generations,” said Murriel, “because I don’t see us represented in the narratives about our state. We have been here, contributing to our communities for decades, and in many cases have completely assimilated, or have remained otherwise invisible. I hope our elders’ stories can instill pride in our community, and inspire cross-cultural solidarity.”

The oral histories featured in the Legados podcast also serve as narrative legacy projects, ensuring that relatives stay connected to their ancestry and family stories for generations to come.

“Legacy projects are a powerful tool for bringing peace and acceptance to people who are at the end of their life,” says Executive Director, Liz Dunnebacke. “And they are equally powerful for the family and friends of an older person, who are often hungry for stories, particularly in their loved one’s voice, long after that person has died. Banking these narratives in life is a tremendous gift to children, grandchildren, and future generations, and is associated with a deep sense of satisfaction on the part of the participants.”

The Legados de Luisiana Oral History Project aims to preserve the legacies of Louisiana’s Latin American elders and contribute their experiences to the public domain, destigmatizing discussions about death and dying in the process.

For more information about the event, visit the Legados event page here.

The stars had aligned for a special season at Texas State and the Bobcats were more than ready for the challenge. Needless to say, the Bobcats passed with flying colors. 

Behind a three RBI performance from first baseman J.J. Smith, Texas State defeated their longtime nemesis the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns 9-5 to bring home the Bobcats first conference tournament title since 2018. 

Celebrating in front of their own home crowd during graduation, which many of the seniors missed, Texas State and Head Ricci Woodard are back in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. 

“We had been throwing punches and getting punched back,” Woodard said. “Today was going to be one of those days. In that case, you have to go one pitch at a time. Even [Jessica] Mullins during the sixth inning said ‘Alright one pitch at a time’. That is when the stress hits and you start worrying about counts. I thought we did a really good job of continuing to battle and work one pitch at a time.”

Texas State got off to a hot start in the first inning, captializing on two Louisiana errors to load up bases. 

Right fielder Anna Jones scored the first run of the game hitting a RBI single into center field, putting the Bobcats up 1-0. 

Center fielder Piper Randolph tacked on another run, hitting a sacrifice fly to extend the lead 2-0. 

Texas State then captilaized Louisiana’s third error of the inning. An infield single by catcher Karmyn Bass was not fielded cleanly by the Cajun infield allowing Bass to reach base safely while another run scored to make it 3-0. 

Despite being down 3-0, Louisiana was not out of the fight. The Cajuns responded with a two-run RBI single in the bottom of the first before hitting a two-run RBI triple to take back the lead at 4-3. 

As the Bobcats trailed going into the top of the fourth inning, third baseman Sara Vanderford knew the team had to keep up being the aggressor. 

“You saw it when they put up two runs in two different innings and then we were down all of sudden,” Vanderord said. “They take what you give them and run with it. So keeping our aggressive mindset and being the aggressors while not waiting back on our heels put us in a position to win that game.”

Bass reached base following catcher’s interference followed by an infield single by left fielder Sidney Harvey. 

Shortstop Hannah Earls loaded up the bases with a bunt single as Texas State looked to retake the lead. 

Designated player Emilee Baker took back the lead for the Bobcats, hitting a RBI single and keeping the bases loaded. 

Vanderford hit a sac fly deep into center field to score Harvey, pushing the lead to 5-3. 

Jones tacked on the final run of the game with an RBI single before the Cajuns got the final out at the plate, making it a 6-4 game. 

Keeping Louisiana off the scoreboard, Texas State looked to add on to their lead. 

Randolph started the inning with a leadoff single to bring up Smith at the plate as Louisiana opted to switch pitchers going from Chloe Riassetto to Sam Landry, who started the game. 

With one swing of the bat, Smith connected with a two-run home run over the wall in left field. 

“I knew she wanted to get ahead of me [in the count],” Smith said. “The last couple of at-bats a couple of weeks ago, she pretty much owned me. I knew if she was trying to get ahead of me, I had to be first pitch swinging.”

Louisiana tacked on another run only for Smith to hit an RBI single to make the score 9-5. 

In the bottom of the 7th with Louisiana trying to stage a late comeback, Texas State slammed the door shut. 

The Bobcats got the final three outs before rushing the field to celebrate winning the first tournament championship since 2018. 

Smith, Vanderford and starting pitcher Jessica Mullins were named to the All-Tournament team with Vanderford winning the Most Outstanding Player award for the tournament. 

Even though Vanderford was unable to walk at her own graduation, the moment was more than worth it. 

“You couldn’t ask for anything better,” Vanderford said. “I said two weeks ago that I wasn’t buying a cap and gown because we were going to be in this spot. To actually say it, for it to happen and have a team of 22 girls who actually buy into that while having your back no matter what, is huge. It’s special and that is why this team is the way we are.”

With the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Bobcats will see where they land tomorrow during the NCAA Selection Show.