Hurricane Katrina destroyed an estimated 320 million trees in the Gulf Coast. This was not only a dramatic shift in the look of the landscape, but left the region more vulnerable to further disasters without the trees to absorb carbon and intercept stormwater.

Over the last 20 years, NOLA Tree Project has planted tens of thousands of trees to help rebuild New Orleans’ canopy. Executive director Connie Uddo joins us to talk about the project. .

Climate change is making hurricanes stronger than before. Five years ago, the Federal Emergency Management Agency started a program to fund projects that help prevent damage from disasters, before they happen. Louisiana was supposed to receive more than $720million dollars. Then the Trump administration cancelled the program.

The Coastal Desk’s Eva Tesfaye reports on what that means for New Orleans’ preparedness for future storms.

We can’t talk about Hurricane Katrina recovery without discussing Sankofa Community Development Corporation. The organization was founded and supported by Lower Ninth Ward residents and focuses on wetlands restoration, farming and health.

Founder and CEO of Sankofa CDC, Rashida Ferdianand, tells us how the organization is expanding to focus on economic advancement, workforce development and investing in the neighborhood’s overall future and sustainability.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. 

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