The Gulf Coast includes the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
Documenting disasters in southwest Louisiana
The Southwest Louisiana Journal is documenting disaster preparation, response, and recovery in Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish.
‘They want us gone’: Black Louisianans fight to rebuild a year after Ida
Residents of Ironton and West Point a la Hache are still pushing federal and state agencies to help them make their communities safer before the…
‘Make copies of everything’: Documents to have in case of a hurricane
Many Americans turn to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for help in the long road to recovery after a disaster. The agency is tasked…
The grassroots groups filling major gaps in disaster prep, recovery
A series of interviews with disaster preparedness and recovery advocates about the work they’re doing—and the work that’s still left—in low-wealth communities, rural regions, and…
‘Real solutions to root issues’: Making hurricane recovery more equitable
Six months after Ida, a co-founder of the Louisiana Just Recovery Network reflects on the group’s effort to repair homes and train workers.
Here’s how disaster declarations work—and why aid takes so long
Half of last year’s billion-dollar disasters were in the South. Securing federal aid money can take months, and distributing it to people who need it…
New Orleans has a trash problem. Climate change means other cities will too.
Some neighborhoods went without sanitation services for over a month after Hurricane Ida.
Without federal recognition, coastal tribes struggle to access FEMA aid
Louisiana’s coastal tribes have been left to navigate a complex bureaucracy of parish, state, and federal agencies in a moment of crisis.
The oil and gas industry is pushing misinformation about its impact on climate, coastal restoration. Louisiana politicians are repeating it.
The state’s coastal restoration plan is funded mostly by oil spill settlements—not royalties from offshore drilling.
Louisiana’s new hurricane survivor sheltering program could be a model for the future
The Hurricane Ida Sheltering Program aims to create temporary options closer to home as residents navigate federal aid programs.
The oil and gas industry is using Louisiana’s climate task force to push carbon capture
The state’s unwavering support of the oil, gas, and chemical industries has made it difficult to reduce emissions, fund coastal restoration, or address extreme weather.
How to navigate FEMA aid: Advice from a former employee
We’ve been fielding your questions about navigating federal assistance after Hurricane Ida. A longtime FEMA employee has some answers.
‘Do I even qualify?’: Deadline looms for $500 FEMA aid following Ida
The deadline for Louisiana residents impacted by Hurricane Ida to apply for Critical Needs Assistance from FEMA is Wednesday, September 22. But applicants’ experiences have…
‘Infrastructure apartheid’: Africatown’s fight against toxins, new toll bridge
The historic Alabama town is already surrounded by polluting industries. An impact study says traffic avoiding a proposed toll bridge would only make the air…
‘Life-threatening situation’: FEMA says power outages—not just storm damage—may qualify Louisiana residents for evacuation aid
Earlier this week, the agency said that only people with damaged homes would qualify.
A year after Hurricane Laura, southwest Louisiana ‘still in limbo’
As extreme weather events become more frequent and intense, multiple disasters in southwest Louisiana during the pandemic show how unequipped disaster aid systems are during…
Offshore oil and gas worker fatalities are underreported by federal safety agency
Nearly half of known Gulf of Mexico worker fatalities didn’t fit the agency’s reporting criteria.
Toxic floodwaters threatened a Florida jail. Nearly 800 were locked inside.
Many rural jails and prisons face environmental pollution and flooding, but they aren’t often considered in emergency planning.
‘Homesickness for a place you haven’t left’: A conversation with Stephanie Soileau
We spoke with the Lake Charles-raised author about her debut short story collection, Last One Out Shut Off the Lights.
Louisiana government researcher says she was fired for raising alarm about dolphin deaths
According to studies, a major coastal project could lead to more dolphin fatalities. This story was published in partnership with Louisiana Illuminator. Gulf Coast researchers…
‘Communities shouldn’t have to rely on miracles’: A conversation with Samantha Montano
We sat down with the disaster researcher to discuss her forthcoming book, Disasterology: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis.