Without more sand, Louisiana’s barrier islands are shrinking at a rapid rate as sea levels rise, and becoming more costly to maintain. This story was published in collaboration with Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate and freelance photographer Virginia Hanusik, and is part of the Pulitzer Center’s Connected Coastlines reporting initiative. Jean Landry sits on […]
Category: Louisiana
Posted inClimate, COVID-19, Gulf Coast, Justice, Louisiana, Public Health, Water
How we made a mental health resource guide for southwest La. residents
Mental health was a recurring theme in our series on hurricane recovery during the pandemic. Download the guide here. After Hurricanes Laura and Delta hit Lake Charles last year, it took months for the Kay Doré Counseling Clinic at McNeese State University to return to campus, where it offers low-cost counseling out of a trailer […]
Posted inAlabama, Climate, COVID-19, Disaster Recovery, Florida, Gulf Coast, Louisiana, Mississippi, Public Health
‘Hurricane fatigue’: Gulf Coast emergency managers still rebuilding as they prep for more storms
Local officials are working to inform the public while still recovering from 2020’s record-breaking season—all on tight budgets.
Posted inDisaster Recovery, Justice, Louisiana
The slow road to getting vaccinated after back-to-back hurricanes
A state program aims to make COVID-19 vaccinations accessible to residents of southwest Louisiana, where vaccine rates are low and people are displaced.
Posted inClimate, COVID-19, Disaster Recovery, Economies, Gulf Coast, Louisiana, Public Health
The population of Lake Charles, La. shrank more than any U.S. city in 2020
New USPS data tells a story about climate change and displacement.
Posted inCOVID-19, Disaster Recovery, Gulf Coast, Housing, Justice, Louisiana, Public Health
In Louisiana, hotel shelters wind down as COVID-19 and housing insecurity persist
This story was originally published by The Current. Pillows are in short supply at the Lafayette warehouse operated by the Acadiana Regional Coalition on Homelessness and Housing. But not pillowcases. Workers with ARCH have gathered and stocked home necessities for dozens of families delivered into stable housing after months-long stints in otherwise vacant hotels and […]
Posted inClimate, Disaster Recovery, Energy, Gulf Coast, Justice, Louisiana, Texas, Utilities
Nobody warned Texans about the public health risks of the winter storm
Without advance warning about the true scale of power outages and the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning, local officials say they were caught off guard, leaving residents to fend for themselves.