Five hurricanes made landfall in Louisiana during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Three of which, Laura, Delta, and Zeta, cost billions of dollars in damage. The deadliest, Hurricane Laura, resulted in 28 deaths and totaled $19 billion in damage, according to the 2020 State of Climate report. With 50% of the population of Louisiana residing in coastal areas, climate change will exacerbate the intensity of these storms: posing a greater threat to the safety and property of residents in the years to come.
Climate change is projected to have great impacts on built environments in coastal regions. Storm surges, especially, pose great threats, occurring when high wind speed and low-pressure areas of cyclones force ocean water into coastal areas. Climate scientists project that maximum wind speeds and minimum pressures will intensify by the end of the 21st century; with wind speeds to increase 5% for every 1° C increase in ocean temperature, resulting in more Category 4 and 5 storms (Knuston et al., 2010; Emanuel, 2005). In a recent study by Camelo et al., (2020), inundation volumes are projected to double over the century, increasing the number of people and property threatened by storm surges. Greater inundation volumes also have environmental implications due to inland flooding and saltwater intrusion, threatening agriculture and biogeochemical cycling of coastal ecosystems. While the frequency of hurricanes will remain stable, climate change will exacerbate the intensity of tropical storms, posing greater threats to coastal communities in our near future.
Hurricane: A tropical cyclone with winds of 74 mph accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning
Storm surge: A rising of the sea resulting from atmospheric pressure changes and wind associated with a storm
Inundation: Flooding
To find out more about how Louisiana is preparing for hurricane season, follow Hurricane – NOLA Ready and/or Home – Get a Game Plan
To find out past public policies on hurricane protection in Louisiana, see the following links:
Hurricane Protection Strategies in the Greater New Orleans Area
The New Orleans Protection System: What Went Wrong and Why
Preparing for a Catastrophe: The Hurricane Pam Exercise
References:
Camelo, J., Mayo, T.L., and Gutmann, E.D. (2020). Projected climate change impacts on hurricane storm surge inundation in the coastal united states. Frontiers in Built Environment. 6:588049.
Emanuel, K.A. (1987). The dependence of hurricane intensity on climate. Nature 326, 483-485.
Emanuel, K. (2005). Increasing destructiveness of tropical cyclones over the past 30 years. Nature 436, 686-688.
Knutson, T.R., McBride, J.L., Chan, J., Emanuel, K., Holland, G., Landsea, C., et al. (2010). Tropical cyclones and climate change. Nat Geosci. 3, 157-163.