Flood and Sacrifice: How an Old Convent Could Help Save New Orleans

By Matthew Teague
New York Times
August 26, 2020

NEW ORLEANS — Fifteen years ago, Hurricane Katrina flooded a convent in the heart of New Orleans, scattering its nuns. Now the Sisters of St. Joseph are using the ruins of their motherhouse to create one of the country’s largest urban wetlands. It will absorb millions of gallons of runoff during storms and will, the nuns hope, help save their city.

Two storms hit Louisiana’s coast this week — Tropical Storm Marco on Monday, followed by Hurricane Laura, which was expected to make landfall well west of New Orleans late Wednesday — pouring rain and reminding New Orleans residents of the city’s vulnerability to floods. City leaders have long been scrambling to find ways to cope with the downpours that have so imperiled the city over the years.

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