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Jill Trepanier profile photo

Jill Trepanier

Professor and Department Chair

Dr. Trepanier is a hurricane climatologist and geographer focusing on the statistical estimation of extreme weather risk.

ClimatologyHurricanesGeographyEnvironmental Science
Carol Friedland profile photo

Carol Friedland

Director of LaHouse Research & Education Center and Professor

Dr. Friedland bridges research and real-world solutions for Louisiana homes.

Construction ManagementHazard-Resistant ConstructionHurricane, Wind and Flood InteractionsNatural Hazards Data Collection
Aly Mousaad Aly profile photo

Aly Mousaad Aly

Associate Professor

Dr. Aly is revolutionizing resilient infrastructure via pioneering AI-enhanced large-scale wind engineering and control for extreme weather.

Wind EngineeringStructural DynamicsResilient InfrastructureComputational Fluid DynamicsMachine Learning
Robert Twilley profile photo

Robert Twilley

LSU Vice President of Research and Economic Development

Dr. Twilley is an internationally renowned researcher in wetland ecology.

Ecosystem ModelingWetland EcologyCoastal and Wetland Ecosystem RestorationCoastal OceanographyGlobal Climate Change
Edward Benoit III profile photo

Edward Benoit III

Interim Director & Associate Professor

Dr. Benoit coordinates the archival studies and cultural heritage resource management programs at LSU.

Community ArchivesParticipatory ArchivesArchival PedagogyNon-traditional Archival MaterialsClimate Change
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Latest Q&A's

How did Hurricane Katrina change the rural landscape of Louisiana?
Tim Slack

Here’s what we know. While much of the media attention to Hurricane Katrina was focused on New Orleans—and not without reason, there was immense destruction and human suffering in the city—the story there was one of technological and infrastructural failure, like levee system breaches and overwhelmed pump systems. However, many of the places that took a direct hit from Katrina were rural and small-town communities along the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast, places like Buras, Louisiana, and Pearlington, Mississippi, communities with fewer than 2,000 residents. In general, rural and small-town areas have less infrastructure and government capacity than cities do, exacerbating social vulnerability in that respect. More broadly, if you think about the land loss crisis in coastal Louisiana, most of the communities on the frontline are rural and small-town places, in parishes like Plaquemines, Lafourche, and Terrebonne. Barrier islands and marshes that used to function as “speed bumps” for storms are increasingly disappearing. This makes these communities more vulnerable to storms, as evidenced recently by the tremendous damage wrought by Hurricane Ida in 2021.One of the cumulative results of all these storms is the current property insurance crisis in South Louisiana. Low and moderate income folks increasingly can’t keep up with the rising cost of living on the coast. Older fixed income people not being able to insure their homes and younger people not being able to afford insurance to secure a mortgage sets the stage for depopulation absent innovative interventions.

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Why did Hurricane Erin strengthen so quickly, and how unusual was this compared to other storms?
Jill Trepanier

Hurricane Erin strengthened quickly because there was nothing to impede development, such as strong wind shear or enhanced Saharan dust. The ocean waters are warmer than normal, and this provided ample fuel for rapid intensification. It is becoming evident that rapid intensification is a common occurrence in Atlantic hurricane seasons, so, historically, this is unusual. However, in recent seasons, we've seen more storms rapidly intensify, so it is becoming less unusual with time.

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