A broken census can’t keep up with climate migration in Louisiana

Four years after back-to-back hurricanes slammed Lake Charles, Louisiana, the city is still grappling with the long-term impact of population loss, complicating its recovery and future political representation.

Zoya Teirstein reports for Grist.

In short:

The 2020 hurricanes displaced nearly 7% of Lake Charles’ population, a loss that worsened due to inadequate tracking systems.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s data collection was disrupted by the storms, invalidating much of the data gathered, complicating redistricting and resource distribution.
The demographic shift deepened racial and economic divides, with wealthier, whiter areas recovering faster than poorer, predominantly Black neighborhoods.

Key quote:

“There’s no way the census, every 10 years, will be able to manage keeping up with the rapid population shifts that are already happening.”

— Daniel Aldrich, Northeastern University, professor of political science

Why this matters:

This isn’t just about a few people leaving town; it’s about whole communities being displaced, and the Census—the system meant to account for us all—might be missing the mark. Read more: Poor southerners are joining the globe’s climate migrants.

grist.org

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