Katrina, the Sequel?

One of the most shocking revelations after Hurricane Katrina was that everyone-scientists, politicians and federal agencies-knew that widespread destruction of coastal wetlands had left New Orleans vulnerable to exactly the kind of catastrophic flooding that occurred. The marshes and swamps that once fringed the Louisiana coast could absorb huge amounts of water, but almost 20,000 square miles of them have eroded or been filled in for development, and that's why Katrina's storm surge could rush in and submerge the city. For years Louisiana has been begging Washington to help restore its vanishing coastline; but last year, the White House slashed Louisiana's request for restoration funds by 85 percent and severely cut funds for protecting the levees as well.

Whether you blame politicians, nature, developers or citizens who want to drain marshy land and build there, it's a sad story of self-destructive folly; and as Craig Pittman reports in this issue, it's not just about Louisiana. Florida is losing wetlands at a staggering rate-more than 84,000 acres in the last 15 years, according to the St. Petersburg Times. Here in Southwest Florida, officials have issued more permits for wetland destruction than in all the rest of the Southeast. From 1999 to 2003, the Army Corps of Engineers approved more than 12,000 permits to destroy Florida wetlands. And how many did they deny? One.

That's a mind-boggling statistic, and you can't simply blame it on greedy developers. Yes-like the rest of us-developers want to stay in business and profit, but they're responding to market demand. Our region has been hit by a storm surge of population growth, and the relentless pressure of all those new people is what drives development and leads politicians to urge officials to approve more permits faster.

Before I read Pittman's story, I assumed that agencies such as the Corps balance that pressure for growth by enforcing policies that safeguard natural resources. But in an astonishing turnabout, the Corps has become more about processing applications than protecting the environment. As one high official told Pittman, "Our role is not to be an impediment to the development process."

Some would argue it's worth destroying a swamp or two to build a beautiful community, or, as we did here a few years ago, to create a much-needed institution like Florida Gulf Coast University.

But it's hard not be alarmed at the pace of destruction, or what Pittman reveals about the workings of the Corps-for example, officials often coach developers to rewrite applications so questionable projects can win approval, and they don't follow up to see if the artificial wetlands created as "mitigation" actually survive.

I was telling a colleague about the story, and she said, "Oh, those environmental articles. They win awards, but trust me, people would rather read about fashion or look at pictures of black-tie parties."

I don't completely disagree. I love to read about-and look at-beautiful people, and it's exciting to cover the ever-expanding luxury scene here, from dazzling homes to trendy restaurants and the big new retailers like Tiffany & Co. and Hermès. (Just ask the three shopaholic editors we sent out to search for our "Holiday Treasures," an outrageous collection of gifts for the people on your list.) Our ever-growing glamour factor attracts high-profile newcomers, creates jobs and business opportunities, and makes life more interesting for us all. But let's not forget why we're basking in all this wealth: People who can live anywhere choose beautiful, unspoiled places with an exceptional quality of life.

Wetlands, unglamorous as they may be, help sustain that quality of life. They're a critical part of the Florida landscape, keeping our waterways clean, providing habitat for wildlife and creating those haunting scenes of beauty you see only in Southwest Florida. And, as any emergency official or CNN watcher could now tell you, they are also an intricate natural safety system that protects this storm-prone area from massive flooding. (Lee County growth czar Wayne Daltry points out that Hurricane Charley would have been even more damaging if the wetlands it roared across in Charlotte County had been developed into housing, as was originally planned back in the 1960s.)

With different geography from New Orleans, we wouldn't still be submerged for weeks after a major storm (unless sea levels keep rising, but that's a different story); but if we keep hardening our wetlands, we can expect severe flooding in many areas.

My colleague and I had that conversation about Pittman's story a week before Katrina hit. Now I suspect she-and most other Southwest Floridians-may find his revelations as riveting as I do.