Storms and Stillness I am sitting on the shoreline looking out across the wide-open waters of Lake Pontchartrain, eyes locked on thunderstorm clouds traveling the horizon along the North Shore. It’s a relief—New Orleans was spared the worst of a tropical storm that had thrown the city into preparation mode. Just days before, I saw […]
Braised by Water: Building a Just Future for New Orleans East Read More »
I kept saying to myself the pumps can’t be working. I live not far from a drainage canal and I saw it overflowing. I felt betrayed once again, having little faith in the drainage system. This is not normal. It has failed us too many times in the past. Knowing this, I also knew no one was coming to help us but us.
Normalize Community Building – Not Disasters Read More »
Guest Blog by Rebecca Malpass, Healthy Gulf Intern
New Orleans for Lincoln Beach has been working with the city to reopen the historic Lincoln Beach in New Orleans East. Lincoln Beach served as a haven for black families in New Orleans when they were not allowed at the white-only Ponchartrain Beach amusement park during the segregated Jim Crow era. Although smaller, secluded and
Saving Lincoln Beach Read More »
Since New Orleans was settled by the French in 1718, New Orleanians have been learning to adapt to and live with water. The city is a series of basins surrounded by Lake Pontchartrain and nestled along the mighty Mississippi. Grey infrastructure in the form of pipes, pumps, and drains combine to make our drainage system.
Green Infrastructure: A Solution Read More »
Living in a city below sea level means living in a city often inundated with water and its effects. Stormwater incentive mechanisms are easy to implement and afford community members the flexibility and creativity to reduce the impacts of flooding and runoff in our communities. Across the US, communities have employed successful incentive models such
Stormwater Incentives: Permeable Pavement Read More »