8 GIFs reveal how Louisiana's 'boot' is under siege.
Turns out levees keep floods away and oil companies keep the money a'flowin', but they both also make parts of Louisiana kinda ... go away? Exactly. Yeah, this is a bit of a downer. BUT! If you know the causes, there's hope to reverse it. As you can see in the eighth GIF, with the right plans, energy, and infrastructure policies, we can fix it. The first step is getting wise. The next step is gonna be harder, but it's a start.
Here's what the boot looks like:
Now let's look at the details ... IN GIFS!
The *basic* story of all these GIFs is this: Human infrastructure is causing environmental problems. Levees done messed it all up by blocking bayous that feed the delta sediment, and then oil companies' shipping channels and drilling finished the job.
Let's look at what's happening in the areas most affected in the Mississippi Delta, on the tippy-toe of the boot.
1. Delacroix:
2. Leeville:
This place was apparently a magical farm paradise, and now it's water.
3. Manila Village:
4. New Orleans East Land Bridge:
...as it protects people from hurricanes less and less.
5. Texaco Canals:
Look at all that green in the beginning... :(
I feel like reiterating ... in 1932 this looked like:
All those little red towns are just plain GONE.
Now I look like:
7. Buras:
-_-
8. Atchafalaya River Delta, aka the good news! Restoration plans are working. "Together, the two deltas have produced 18 square miles of new land in 40 years — and 270 acres more each year."
1922:
2014:
The FUTURE:
And here are some brief visuals that might shed some light on the infrastructural causes* contributing to coastline loss:
