Louisiana residents are preparing for heavy rain and potentially life-threatening flooding as Tropical Storm Arthur approaches the Texas-Louisiana coast.
Details on how Tropical Storm Arthur will affect parishes in Louisiana
But as officials urge residents to stay alert, the storm is also shining a light on a longstanding reality: The communities most vulnerable to flooding are often the same communities that have historically received the fewest resources to prevent and recover from disasters.
Local forecasts predicted that flooding threats would move across the state in waves, with immediate tropical storm and coastal flooding threats most imminent along Louisiana’s coast.
Coastal and southern parishes, including Terrebonne, Lafourche, lower Jefferson, Plaquemines and parts of St. Mary Parish, are expected to see the earliest impacts, with alerts remaining in effect through 7 a.m., according to WDSU.
The threat will then shift into the Greater New Orleans area and River Parishes. Orleans, upper Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. James and Assumption parishes are expected to face the highest risk for heavy rainfall and flash flooding between 6 p.m. and noon Friday.
Meanwhile, residents across the Northshore and Florida Parishes, including St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes, could see flooding concerns continue into Friday afternoon as the storm’s moisture moves farther inland, per WDSU.
How are Black communities in the South affected by environmental events?
A 2022 Nature Climate Change study found that Louisiana already faces some of the highest levels of flood exposure in the country. Researchers warned that future growth in flood-prone areas could place even more residents, particularly those in already vulnerable communities, at risk.
For many Black Louisianans, severe weather events like Arthur are more than temporary emergencies.
The same study found that climate-driven flooding is not affecting all communities equally. Researchers projected that predominantly Black communities will experience some of the nation’s largest increases in flood risk over the coming decades, with many of those communities concentrated across the Deep South and Gulf Coast.
They also warned that without targeted investments in flood mitigation, infrastructure and disaster preparedness, existing racial disparities in flood exposure could continue to widen.
The flooding comes as Louisiana’s environmental challenges are increasingly tied to the state’s political battles, including redistricting.
Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to headline the Louisiana Democratic Party’s Masquerade Sneaker Ball on Aug. 7, focusing on the Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais and her possible 2028 run for president, Blavity reported.