Louisiana’s Strategic Adaptations for Future Environments will continue this week to share draft strategies of projects with residents of six parishes. We met with residents of Jefferson, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany and Terrebonne parishes. November meetings are planned in Lafourche and Plaquemines parishes.

In this fourth round of engagement, residents will have the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the draft strategies developed by the LA SAFE team after several rounds of collaborative meetings over the course of the year.

These draft strategies are being presented in a variety of settings that include focused discussions with participants from previous meetings, including public and elected officials; casual open-house gatherings; or table presentations at local festivals and other public spaces. The planning team will take these suggestions into consideration as they complete the design of one adaptation strategy for each parish that addresses challenges and opportunities unique to that parish.

The result of two months of research and planning, these draft strategies follow a third round of meetings at the parish level, where residents engaged in interactive roundtable activities that showed the LA SAFE team what types of projects, programs and policy recommendations work best for their parish.

We look forward to hearing from you, the most important stakeholders, on how we should finish this crucial first step in a long-term process to adapt to a changing coastline. Please check out these engagement opportunities.

To keep informed, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (all at @LiveLaSafe). Visit our website at LASAFE.la.gov.

LA SAFE is managed by the Louisiana Office of Community Development’s Disaster Recovery Unit in partnership with Foundation for Louisiana’s Coastal Resilience Leverage Fund.

Here are the remaining meetings and events in the area:

LAFOURCHE PARISH
LA SAFE Community Meeting
Tuesday, Nov. 7 (6 p.m. – 8 p.m.) — Mathews Government Complex, 4876 La. Hwy. 1, Mathews

PLAQUEMINES PARISH
LA SAFE Community Meeting
Monday, Nov. 6  (4 p.m. – 6 p.m.) — Vietnamese Community Meeting, Buras Community Center/YMCA, 36342 La. Hwy. 11, Buras
Monday, Nov. 6 (6 p.m. – 8 p.m.) — Cambodian Community Meeting, Buras Community Center/YMCA, 36342 La. Hwy. 11, Buras

LA SAFE Community Meeting
Thursday, Nov. 9 (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) — Port Sulphur YMCA/Community Center, 278 Civic Drive, Port Sulphur

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About LA SAFE
LA SAFE is a planning process to develop a common vision with coastal residents intended to guide parish-specific decision-making in coming decades relative to projected flood risks. The Louisiana Office of Community Development’s Disaster Recovery Unit, in partnership with the Foundation for Louisiana’s Coastal Resilience Leverage Fund and the elected leadership of the parish, is coordinating the LA SAFE planning initiative. The planning process is a key step in the implementation of LA SAFE, a $40 million initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Once plans are developed, the LA SAFE team will use the balance of funds to invest in proposed programs and projects. LA SAFE is a community-focused resilience and adaptation policy framework complementing the state’s Coastal Master Plan. LASAFE.la.gov

About Foundation for Louisiana
The mission of Foundation for Louisiana (FFL) is to invest in people and practices that reduce vulnerability and build stronger, more sustainable communities statewide. FFL’s partnership with the State of Louisiana on the launch of the planning process of LA SAFE builds on FFL’s extensive work in coastal communities and its commitment to equitable and inclusive planning. Working within the Coastal Resiliency Leverage Fund and through the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Foundation began work in the summer and fall of 2016 on its LEAD the Coast initiative, which supported Plaquemines Parish residents in the design of their own coastal community engagement and planning process. Since its founding in 2005, FFL has invested $41.5 million in more than 200 mission-critical nonprofit organizations working throughout the state towards rebuilding a better Louisiana. foundationforlouisiana.org