Lessons from the School of Big Storms
Hurricanes past teach us how to prepare for the future
 The severity of hurricane seasons in the present and future can be minimized if the lessons of hurricane seasons past are heeded.
To coincide with the June 1 start of the 2006 hurricane season, the Sierra Club Gulf Coast Environmental Restoration Task Force and Gulf Restoration Network have collaborated to produce a timely report called The School of Big Storms: The High Cost of Compromising Our Natural Defenses and the Benefits of Protecting Them. (2.8mb PDF, 20 pages)
The report examines the layers of protection nature provides - from barrier islands to natural flooding cycles - and what hurricanes of the past have taught us about the consequences of compromising and undermining natural systems.
"We hope to avoid making the same bad mistakes over and over that put our communities at greater and greater risk," says Cynthia Sarthou, executive director of the Gulf Restoration Network. "If we allow the continued destruction of our natural barriers, such as coastal wetlands and barrier islands, then we take away nature's ability to protect us by reducing the strength and impact of hurricanes."
"The School of Big Storms provides examples of lessons that, when heeded, will benefit all communities on the Gulf Coast," says Leslie March, author of the report and member of the Sierra Club Gulf Coast Environmental Restoration Task Force. "The lessons are a guide for public officials, government agencies and citizens living along the Gulf Coast. If we can learn from the lessons that past hurricanes have taught us, we will protect our natural coastal environment and the people and communities that live here."
The lesson learned in Louisiana involves the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a seldom-used navigation channel built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a shortcut linking the Gulf of Mexico to the Port of New Orleans. During Hurricane Katrina, the MRGO acted as a funnel - increasing the height of the storm surge by several feet and sharply increasing its speed - causing levees to crumble under the assault.
Examples of other lessons from The School of Big Storms include:
- Allowing development in the flood plain or upriver from a flood-prone area only puts more people at risk.
- Developing plans to reduce flooding impact are only successful when they are not weakened as a result of political pressure.
- Protecting barrier islands and coastal wetlands will protect communities.
- Encouraging development that is set back from the water front will protect communities.
- Exempting development from building codes or other storm protection requirements only weakens a community's defenses.
- Protecting the natural habitat for endangered species along the coast also will protect communities.
- Strengthening oil and gas critical infrastructure will help protect people and the environment.
 Download the full report: The School of Big Storms: The High Cost of Compromising Our Natural Defenses and the Benefits of Protecting Them. (2.8mb PDF, 20 pages)
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