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TriPod : New Orleans at 300

Life Raft: 'How Can I Reduce Flooding In My Neighborhood?'

By Travis Lux
Published January 13, 2021 at 6:00 AM CST
Laura Sanders

Hey TriPod listeners! WWNO and WRKF want to introduce you to a new podcast of ours. It's called Life Raft. It's a show that explores questions about climate change, submitted by listeners like you. This episdode is all about street flooding.

More and more down South, it seems like when it rains, it pours. In New Orleans, several big rain storms in recent years have turned streets into rivers and flooded homes and cars.

This week on Life Raft: flooding. What can we do about it?

We drop by a bar that regularly floods, get the latest science on climate-induced rainfall, and visit with a New Orleanian who decided to get her hands dirty and take some action.

Here are some great resources for how to help reduce flooding in your neighborhood:

  • This workbook from WaterWise Gulf South is a great how-to guide for getting started on your own green infrastructure.
  • The Urban Conservancy has a program that reimburses New Orleanians for ripping up concrete in their yards.
  • Healthy Community Services (run by Angela Chalk, who you heard in Episode 1) also does lots of work around green infrastructure in New Orleans.

P.S. Here’s the legendary photo of “Darryl.”

If you like what you hear, subscribe! You can find Life Raft wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Got a question you want us to explore? Send it to us! There’s a super simple form on our website.

For bonus pictures and extra fun vibes, follow us on social media. We’re on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Support for the Coastal Desk comes from the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and local listeners.

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TriPod : New Orleans at 300 Life RaftClimate ChangeFlooding
Travis Lux
As Coastal Reporter, Travis Lux covers flood protection, coastal restoration, infrastructure, the energy and seafood industries, and the environment. In this role he's reported on everything from pipeline protests in the Atchafalaya swamp, to how shrimpers cope with low prices. He had a big hand in producing the series, New Orleans: Ready Or Not?, which examined how prepared New Orleans is for a future with more extreme weather. In 2017, Travis co-produced two episodes of TriPod: New Orleans at 300 examining New Orleans' historic efforts at flood protection. One episode, NOLA vs Nature: The Other Biggest Flood in New Orleans History, was recognized with awards from the Public Radio News Directors and the New Orleans Press Club. His stories often find a wider audience on national programs, too, like NPR's Morning Edition, WBUR's Here and Now, and WHYY's The Pulse.
See stories by Travis Lux