Administrator Jackson speaks with a response worker at the Incident Command Post in Alabama.
I grew up in New Orleans. As a chemical engineering student at Tulane University, I worked and studied in the local environment, particularly the wetlands, marshes and swamps. I saw then that the wetlands were the beating heart of the region. The coastal waters support a multi-billion-dollar fishing industry that is a way of life for many families and communities. The rich sediment and marsh grasses help filter pollution and provide the home for a priceless and delicate ecosystem. And the abundant vegetation growing above the surface helps buffer storm surges during hurricanes – a vital function whose importance was all too apparent after Hurricane Katrina.
My mother was still living in New Orleans when Katrina struck. I happened to be visiting her at the time, and drove her to safety. But her house – the house where I grew up – was destroyed by the flooding. After the storm, she and many other Gulf residents learned that the flooding had been made worse because the marshes and wetlands had been destabilized by navigation channels, covered over by levee construction, and most damagingly, cut away for the placement of oil and gas lines.
Fonte: White House