Water continues to rise in southeast Louisiana as hopes sink. Those most at risk: the native tribes that have inhabited the land for hundreds of years.
While flooding occurs after major storms and hurricanes, the reasons it is so dangerous to native tribes are because of issues that exist even on sunny days. Hurricane Ida led to major flooding that ruined myriads of tribal homes, but if there was a proper infrastructure to combat flooding, many of those houses would still be here.
Isle de Jean Charles Tribe of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians is one of the most vulnerable tribes in Louisiana. Located in Terrebonne Parish right on the coast, natural barriers have protected them from the dangerous Gulf waters for centuries. Marshes and vegetation are supposed to protect the land from flooding, but as climate change and humans degrade these barriers, floods occur more often and more intensely. “Whenever high tide comes, we cannot go out,” Isle de Jean Charles resident Roch Naquin told The Advertiser.
In January, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development gave the Isle de Jean Charles band $48 million to resettle. Hope of remaining on the land that has been part of their ancestry and culture for centuries is waning.
Flooding has also forced the Pointe-Au-Chien tribe to relocate. For years floods have crept further up towards the tribe, pressuring them to move north. They move reluctantly from their ancestral home, and some are willing to stay until there is no land left to live on.
Many lovers of Louisiana have dedicated time to preventing flooding in southern Louisiana. The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana gathers oysters from New Orleans restaurants to create man-made barrier reefs that prevent flooding. This is just one example of local businesses rallying together to protect their home and the land they inhabit.
When hurricanes don’t come, the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indian tribe is faced with periodic flooding that damages septic systems and keeps residents from using their cars or even opening the door. Their agricultural systems are constantly at risk from flooding, damaging the soil and food year-round.
Coastal tribes need not only to prevent flooding, but to create sustainable living methods for food, water, transportation, infrastructure, and sanitation. So many businesses in New Orleans have the opportunity to not only advance their own businesses, but advance their community. Local businesses can work together to preserve southeast Louisiana and keep our land above water.
Love Your City provides opportunities to not only create a sustainable lifestyle, but a sustainable economy. See how Love Your City can improve your green and moral values.
Love Your City acknowledges that the land of New Orleans, which we inhabit, is in the original ancestral homelands of the native tribes of Louisiana. We pay respect to the native tribes of Louisiana in the past, present, and future, and will continue to honor and affirm their presence on their homeland.