Louisiana is losing a football field of shore every hour. Between 2004 and 2008 the state lost 300 square miles, and has lost 1,800 square miles between 1932 and 2010. Rhode Island only has 1,200 square miles; so, effectively the US has lost a state’s worth of land. Louisiana’s government has finally officially declared the erosion an emergency. Half of the population lives along the coast. Within the next 50 years the state expects to lose another 2,250 square miles; which would displace communities. There are many causes, land subsidence, sea level rise, sediment diverted by flood controls, barrier protections removed for industry, etc. The grand plan costs about $50B. The state is hoping for a federal declaration of the emergency to speed the progress of the repair efforts. In the meantime, more acreage is lost and more people must move.
Pretending Not To Panic 
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