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Insights > Entergy Lends Expertise to Ongoing Resiliency and Adaptability Planning for Coastal Communities
Entergy Lends Expertise to Ongoing Resiliency and Adaptability Planning for Coastal Communities
11/22/2019
The America’s WETLAND Foundation, along with Entergy, kicked off its Sea Safe Community Certification initiative in Cameron, Louisiana, citing the community as a model for adaptation to the new normal of coast erosion/sea level rise and an anchor community for program consideration on the Gulf Coast along with the Florida Keys.
In a roundtable discussion that included elected officials, coastal experts and industry representatives, an invited group of participants drilled down on how to keep home values up and negative stigma down in areas at high risk of sea level rise and other climate impacts.
According to flood inundation maps released by the real estate website, Zillow, close to one trillion dollars in real estate will be lost in America if seas rise six feet and, in a startling report released by Climate Central, sea levels are projected to rise one foot by the year 2030.
Val Marmillion, managing director of AWF, said, “A one-foot rise in only slightly more than a decade will have an incredible impact on Louisiana and coastal areas like Cameron. Taking actions to adapt to this projection is critical.”
Rick Johnson, director, sustainability and environmental strategy and policy said, “The work we are doing today can impact all of us along the Gulf Coast. It’s all about adaptation. As a company, we are always in the process of strengthening our infrastructure. We want the communities we serve to have reliable power and we’re investing heavily to make sure they do.”
Mark Hunter, transmission regulatory affairs coordinator, said, “A strong, resilient electric grid not only improves reliability for our customers but also creates jobs and economic growth for the communities in Southwest Louisiana.”
Cameron was all but devastated during Hurricane Rita and residents have worked for years to bring back the community. Since Rita, Southwest Louisiana and its leaders have made tremendous strides to build resiliency into governance and private sector growth.
In 2011, AWF and Entergy hosted a series of Blue-Ribbon Community Leadership forums that explored how coastal communities need to change to keep their areas prosperous and safe into the future. Southwest Louisiana was a key focus of those hearings, and the roundtable on November 6 in Cameron focused on the progress made since then. Southwest Louisiana is an area that can serve as a model for adaptation nationally upon the brink of challenges faced by coastal communities.
