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HEALTHY GULF WEBSITE, AND SEND CONGRESS YOUR MESSAGE! READ THEIR PLEA BELOW.
The response to our request to "Flood Washington" has been fantastic. We've generated over 32,000 comments, sending a strong message to Congress. But we're not there yet - we need your help to meet our goal of over 300,000 comments. This week, Congress is deciding on their rebuilding priorities for Katrina-impacted areas. We all know that the first step in any serious revitalization effort is a commitment to honest and effective storm protection for South Louisiana communities and a vibrant and restored coast. Please take a moment to urge five friends to send a message to the White House and Congress . Click here to help renew New Orleans. If you've already taken action, click here to ask your friends to help.
Three months ago, Hurricane Katrina swept ashore just east of New Orleans, devastating the Gulf Coast with her strength. Many exhaled in relief, as it seemed New Orleans had been spared the worst of Katrina's impacts. The next day, as our levees gave way, it was clear that the worst lay ahead for one of our country's most important cultural and historical cities.
The slow motion tragedy that unfolded in front of the eyes of the world was horrible to watch, yet impossible to turn away from. Now, our city is dry but the future of New Orleans is in doubt, as it becomes clear that our levees were not able to withstand the storms for which they were designed.
A less-known component of New Orleans' tenuous future is the crisis facing our coastal wetlands. Although we know that each mile of coastal marsh diminishes a foot of storm-surge from hurricanes such as Katrina, coastal Louisiana continues to lose a football field's worth of wetlands every 35 minutes to erosion, jeopardizing the nation's oil infrastructure, Gulf seafood production, and, most visibly, our coastal cities. A comprehensive plan to reintroduce the land-building power of the Mississippi River into our dissolving coastal marshes has been written, but lies in Washington, unfunded and not prioritized.
New Orleans and South Louisiana must have Category 5 hurricane protection. This protection must integrate an effective levee system with marsh restoration and protection of coastal forests. If businesses are to have the confidence needed to return and revitalize the city that gave the world Louis Armstrong, seafood gumbo, and America's best Mardi Gras, we must give New Orleans the protection it deserves.
Click here to demand a commitment to Louisiana's Coast and Communities!
The Gulf Restoration Network is a New Orleans-based network of groups and individuals dedicated to protecting and restoring the valuable resources of the Gulf of Mexico. The GRN has members in the five Gulf States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Throughout our ten-year history, the GRN has worked on many issues that have now been thrust into the spotlight by Katrina: coastal wetlands protection and restoration; the prioritization and effectiveness of Army Corps of Engineers projects, such as the New Orleans levees; and clean and healthful waters. The GRN, working closely with member organizations the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) and the Delta Chapter of the Sierra Club, has spearheaded this Flood Washington effort to ensure a sustainable rebuilding effort on the Gulf Coast.
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