Wetlands Protect

Our coastal habitats are also an indispensable defense against the hurricane season. Coastal wetlands act as a barrier between the Gulf of Mexico and the mainland. They diminish the storm surges that hurricanes cause. Also, traveling over wetlands weakens hurricanes by cutting off the storms' access to deep, warm water. Before Hurricane Katrina struck in August of 2005, between 60 and 75 percent of Louisiana's residents live within 50 miles of the gulf coast. Every mile of lost wetlands brings the storm surges closer to home.

Wetlands protect significant financial interests of the state, the country, and many multi-national corporations. Southern Louisiana still houses the world's busiest port complex. It is the 5th largest port in the United States based on volume of cargo. The Port of Southwest Louisiana, located near LaPlace, Louisiana, is the 9th largest port in the world and the largest port in the Western Hemisphere. (How much business does the Port of Southwest Louisiana do? Over 60% of the nations supply of grain is imported through that port, which is protected from hurricane damage exclusively by wetlands.) Louisiana is also home to fifteen oil refineries, including ExxonMobil of Baton Rouge the 2nd largest oil refinery in the United States and the 10th largest worldwide. Currently, Louisiana refines 2,964,800 barrels of oil per day. ICEE is committed to providing the best science and engineering to help protect and rehabilitate Louisiana's coastal wetlands. For more information on the efforts to restore Louisiana's wetlands please check out these sites.