By Juliet Eilperin Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, August 30, 2005; Page A07
Two months ago, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) told an audience of congressional staffers and scientific experts the federal government needs to spend billions of dollars over the next two decades to restore her state's wetlands. She warned that intentional rerouting of the Mississippi River over the past century, coupled with rising sea levels due to climate change, had eroded Louisiana's natural buffer against massive storms.
"This is not Disneyland. This is the real deal," Landrieu said, referring to New Orleans's vulnerability to hurricanes. "The French Quarter could be under 18 feet of water. It would be lost forever."
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"There is no safe place in New Orleans" in the case of a hurricane, she said in June at the congressional briefing. "The culture does not yet know how to do this. Unfortunately, we are the test case."
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Landrieu did achieve part of her goal in late July, when Congress approved a massive energy bill providing $1 billion for Louisiana and other states to shore up their coastlines. Just over half the money will go to Louisiana, with smaller portions going to Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Alaska and California.
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