Special to the American Press

Tulane University has been awarded almost $2 million to lead a collaborative team working to make communities in Southwest Louisiana and Central Acadiana more resilient against climate-related disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires and other severe weather events.

This funding was recently announced by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo as part of almost $60 million in funding for projects aimed at strengthening climate resilience in Louisiana. The efforts are part of the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, a $575 million competitive program funded through the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.

Tulane will coordinate the development of a shared vision and sustainable, resilience-focused action plan for communities in the region. The project will advance climate resilience through community-based planning and regional governance, establishing a collaborative that includes multiple jurisdictions and Tribal governments, community-based entities and watershed districts.

Partners working with Tulane include the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center at the University of Oklahoma, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, nonprofit organization Micah 6:8 Mission, and the William Averette Anderson Fund.

Southwest Louisiana and Central Acadiana are defined by their shared natural characteristics and linked climate hazards as well as rich culture and history. Many communities in the region are still in the process of recovering from devastating hurricanes Laura and Delta, which both hit the Louisiana coast in 2020. Additional events causing significant destruction in the last two years include severe winter storms, severe flooding, tornadoes, and wildfires.

The project aims to strengthen community and governmental capacity for adaptive action that is responsive to the needs and desires of people within the region, and particularly to marginalized, underserved and underrepresented communities.

“Tulane is honored to facilitate a planning process and support community and regional partners in jointly identifying risks, assets and opportunities for climate resilience. Ultimately, this effort will result in a regional collaborative program that can sustain action into the future,” said project director Simone Domingue, PhD, of Tulane University’s ByWater Institute.

The project will focus on:

• Analyzing existing local and regional plans and recommending areas for additional climate resilience assessment
• Characterizing climate risks, such as heavy precipitation, sea level rise and extreme heat
• Defining best practices for equitable projects and programs and prioritizing potential regional projects
• Evaluating policies and developing engineering reports to advance priority projects

“This funding provides Louisiana communities with the resources that empower local leaders, building their capacity for coordination and resilience now and into the future,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D.

This award is part of the broader Climate-Ready Coasts initiative, which focuses on investing in high-impact projects that create climate solutions by storing carbon, building resilience to coastal hazards, restoring coastal habitats, building capacity of underserved communities, and providing employment opportunities.