Highlights
- Climate Center researchers predict major flooding for Vermilion Parish and surrounding areas by 2080
- The interactive map shows Vermilion Bay potentially expanding dramatically over the next 50 years
- New Orleans faces increased hurricane vulnerability as surrounding protective land disappears
- Louisiana’s coastal land loss threatens fishing, tourism, and energy infrastructure across Acadiana
- Current restoration efforts may not keep pace with accelerating sea level rise and land subsidence
Will Your Grandkids Need Boats to Visit Vermilion Parish? These Flood Maps Show Louisiana’s Coast in 50 Years
Climate and coastal maps show shocking predictions for South Louisiana’s future.
VERMILION PARISH, La. (KPEL News) — If you think flooding’s bad now in south Louisiana, wait until you see what researchers say our coast could look like in 2080.
A new interactive map from the Climate Center—that’s a group of scientists and journalists tracking climate change impacts—shows some pretty sobering predictions for our neck of the woods. And when I say sobering, I mean the kind of stuff that makes you wonder if your grandkids will need boats to get around what used to be dry land.
What Vermilion Parish Residents Need to Know
According to the Climate Center research, Vermilion Bay could expand dramatically over the next 55 years. We’re talking about areas that are solid ground today, potentially sitting underwater by the time today’s kindergarteners are retirement age.
For years, we’ve heard the warnings about Louisiana’s disappearing coast before. It’s a constant topic of conversation from schools to coffee shops. But seeing it mapped out like this? That hits different…