Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum.

Located in Jennings City Hall, the museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.

Ten years after the floods of 2016, we're looking at the changing costs of protecting your home.

A new study on rising sea levels has received national attention.

But what did the research actually reveal?

And the ultimate Boy Scouts adventure happens right here in Louisiana.

We'll take you to the Swamp Bass, and how the humble fiddle became the heartbeat of Louisiana's musical heritage.

Let's get started.

Let's go.

Hi everyone.

I'm Christina Jensen and I'm Johnny Atkinson.

Much more on those top stories in a moment on this week's edition of Louisiana, The State We're In.

First, though, we do want to mention the passing of longtime LSU baseball coach Skip Bertman.

Bertman died early this morning in the hospital surrounded by his family.

Victor, how will have much more on his legacy later in the show?

Well, the great flood of 2016 changed more than Louisiana's landscape.

It also changed flood insurance.

Ten years later, new maps, new pricing and new rules are affecting what homeowners pay and how they protect their property.

The American Meteorological Society, the Noah National Weather Service never, ever experienced or identified anything like this before.

After the 2016 Louisiana flood.

The biggest change to flood insurance wasn't that regular homeowner's insurance started covering floods.

Instead, changes were made to the National Flood Insurance Program, how risk is priced and how rebuilding is handled.

Somewhere around 48,000 properties were flooded as a result of the rain in 2016.

Of those, somewhere around 20% had an nfip or private flood policy in force.

Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says Louisiana is a heavy user of the Nfip 10% of its total policies, but 20% of the programs total payouts.

Louisiana is also the top state for repeat flooding for properties covered by the NFIB.

The 43,000 properties filing multiple flood claims over the past decade.

Unfortunately, if you didn't have flood insurance as a result of that, then you had to either come out of pocket for the repairs and recovery of that, or rely on Good Samaritan groups.

Many families went into debt rebuilding because standard homeowner's insurance did not pay for flood damage, and costs for repairs were much higher than expected.

Contractors, of course, came in a lot and they were very expensive and price gouging and materials went up.

Was it painful?

It was because who wants, you know, to come into a home and, and almost basically have to start all over.

Tom Douthat is the associate professor of environmental science at LSU, and he studies ways that communities can better handle floods and other climate risks throughout the United States.

One of the problems with flood insurance is that there's what we call an information asymmetry issue, where people who know they have elevated flood risk or think they have very elevated flood risk, would be more likely to buy insurance.

As a result of that, a lot of people were underinsured and overexposed.

When 2016 happened in 2016, many of the hardest hit communities were in low risk flood zones that never flooded in previous storms.

The homes that had enforced policies, you know, they were able to receive up to $100,000 for contents and $250,000 for the repair of the structure of the buildings after the Great Flood.

FEMA made several changes to the way it determines flood zones, reevaluating and shifting some areas into high risk special flood hazard areas.

Experts also look at improved climate data and mapping that can more accurately show the intensity and frequency of events like the 2016 flood.

Major flood events trigger disaster declarations by Congress, and those then lead to recovery monies.

In Louisiana's case, they created a recovery plan, which was funded to the tune of $2.6 billion.

That money was aimed at housing needs for displaced families, eight for small businesses and for public works to prevent future flooding.

A flood policy is probably the most vital financial product you can buy as far as in the insurance, with regards to property and contents.

In 2021, FEMA began implementing what's called risk rating 2.0.

So the flood insurance premiums are calculated at the individual property level, rather than relying on broad flood maps.

FEMA factors and the property's elevation, distance from a water source, and other data to determine flood insurance premiums.

Studies show the changes caused premiums to go up for about 80% of Louisiana policyholders, particularly those in high flood risk areas.

There are places that have been built that have high flood risk.

In those places are a challenge in terms of insurance because they have higher long term costs.

Commissioner Tim Temple says the changes have made insurance unaffordable for some families, and he wants to ensure that FEMA takes into account flood mitigation, drainage projects and efforts like new levees.

Lafourche, Terrebonne Parish you know, they've taken it upon themselves to build levees, attacks themselves and build the levees themselves.

They benefit from that.

So communities all around Louisiana are pushed to improve flood prevention planning with new building standards in the National Insurance program.

One of the bigger challenges that we're facing is, is also has to do with the cost of construction in the United States.

And as our homes get more and more expensive to replace and fix, that effectively also increases the risk.

The Great Flood of 2016 claimed 13 lives, more than 30,000 rescues, more than 8100 people in shelters, and it caused damage to more than 60,000 homes.

I think once you have that type of flood and that type of impact on a community, you learn from it.

Keep reminding people if there's any way that you can budget and have a flood policy, do.

No matter where you live in our state, you are at risk of flood.

A recent report on rising sea levels has sparked quite a controversy in Louisiana.

The lead author said South Louisiana should start planning for the possibility of people moving away from the coast.

I spoke to him about what the study actually says and some of the headlines it sparked.

Joining me now is Doctor Torbjorn Tornquist, a geologist at Tulane University and the lead author of a recent coastal study.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Thanks.

Well, I want to talk about this study.

It sparked a lot of discussion statewide for people out there who don't know what did the study reveal?

What it revealed was that sea level rise, which happens worldwide due to climate change, is accelerating and that affects especially low lying coastal areas.

And it turns out that Louisiana is arguably the most vulnerable coastal zone in the world.

So that means that sea level is accelerating.

It will continue to accelerate in the future.

What our study shows, what's kind of new in our study, is that we were able to map out where sea level was, where the shoreline was during the last warm period before the last ice age, and unfortunately, that shoreline, if you are here in New Orleans, that shoreline was north of Lake Pontchartrain.

That means that it's likely that sea level will eventually end up somewhere in that area.

And that, of course, means that up to a few million people who live south of that ancient shoreline are going to face a problem.

That's pretty significant.

In the study you also talked about.

I use the phrase planned retreat.

What do you mean by that?

Well, what we mean with that is that the retreat is already happening, right?

Because one thing we show in the study is that over the last 25 years, coastal Louisiana has lost population.

And it usually happens after these big storms.

So what we are arguing is that we should start doing more in the way of planning so people actually can build a more promising future in a safer places.

How do you think Louisiana could become the global leader adapting to rising sea level?

Over the past year, we've had a huge setback by, you know, the cancellation of the River diversions, which was really the centerpiece of how we can restore and maintain some parts of the coast.

What I would like to see is that, you know, later this century, and that may be as soon as, as decades from now that, for example, Vietnam will knock on our door because they need to do river diversions on the Mekong, for example.

And they want to know how you do that.

Louisiana should be the place to go where the expertise is.

I would like to see our engineering companies to get these multibillion dollar contracts to do that kind of work.

But the way we're going right now, that's not going to happen.

That was my next question.

Do you think our coastal restoration projects currently, and if we start planning now, could that help us?

Yes.

You know, we have to be realistic about it.

It's I'm not saying that sediment diversions are going to solve everything.

They certainly won't.

But they can give us more time.

And that's a really important point we make in that study.

If you think about the location where these two big first sediment diversions were going to happen, you know, they were targeted to build land that could provide a buffer for the largest population center in the state later this century.

Chances are that we're going to be surrounded by open water.

And and the city may still be dry, but you can imagine that that becomes a very precarious situation.

So from that point of view, these diversions would really be able to make a big difference.

So taking those off the table.

Yeah, it's it's in a way a death penalty to to the region.

The study also faced some criticism I think from some politicians, some business owners.

And you said there were some misleading headlines.

What's your response to that?

Well, it's certainly true that some of the headlines were overly sensationalist.

You know, one thing that came up a number of times is that our study supposedly suggested that we would have to leave New Orleans now.

Well, that's certainly not what we're saying.

I can give one example.

I live here, too, and I don't plan to leave, so that is certainly not what we're saying.

What we are saying is we have to start planning now because planning this is this is not a simple thing, as most people will understand.

This is going to take decades and multiple generations to to play out.

And the longer you put it off, the more chaotic it's likely to become.

And that is especially going to affect those who have the least resources.

And that's a situation we argue we should try to avoid if we start planning now, like you're saying in the study, what do you think Louisiana could look like 30, 40 years from now?

Louisiana will.

Unfortunately, we are going to see continued wetland loss, and it may even occur at a higher rate than what we have seen in the past century.

But if we do it right, we can still sustain some portions of the coast and that way.

Give us more time to do all these other things about, you know, adapting to climate change by making it attractive for people to maybe relocate to other places.

Is there anything else you would like to say that I haven't asked you, that you want people out there to know?

We did actually spend quite a lot of time and effort looking at how Native Americans adapted to this very rapidly changing coast, and what we see is that people were incredibly adaptable.

And I think that's kind of flexibility is something we'll have to rediscover.

Well, hopefully we can learn how to adapt.

Yes.

Thank you so much for joining us and for this insightful discussion about your study.

Thanks.

My pleasure.

Now back to sports and a story making headlines across Louisiana.

The death of legendary LSU baseball coach Skip Bertman.

Sports correspondent Victor Howard joins us now with more.

Victor Skip Bertman did a lot for LSU.

And from baseball, college baseball.

Yeah.

No.

Christina, you mentioned about impacting Louisiana.

It's much more than the state of Louisiana.

It's across the country and the landscape of college baseball.

That's the impact that Skip Bertman had.

You know, when Skip Bertman would often tell the story of the state of baseball in Baton Rouge when he arrived, saying fans called the umps, referees screamed, we need more points instead of runs.

And they called him Bertram instead of Bertman.

Well, 870 wins, five national titles and a national impact on the game of baseball.

Everyone knew his name and felt his impact.

Yes.

Sad news this morning when Skip Bertman died early Friday morning in Baton Rouge, surrounded by family at the age of 88.

As a coach, he launched LSU to the premier program in all of college baseball, winning five national titles in 11 College World Series appearances.

Also won seven SEC titles.

But his impact was felt well beyond Baton Rouge and the diamond.

He made every program in the state better because he played them both at home and on the road and talked to their players.

After games, he took over as LSU ad when he was done coaching and directed the entire Tiger athletics program, even hiring four coaches who went on to win national titles.

And his community impact was felt by thousands with his speaking engagements and community involvement.

Bertman spoke to LPB a few years ago about his decision to leave Miami, where he was an assistant coach, and instead of going to South Alabama, decided to take over at LSU.

Because of the Southeastern Conference and the only ten teams.

At that time, I thought LSU could be like Mississippi State, which of course was one of the top schools in the country at that time.

Figured I'd take a chance at LSU.

I thought if I didn't do that and I wasn't the man that I should have been because this is what I really wanted to do.

All along the head coach, I was surprised how little they knew about college baseball compared to the University of Miami, where I was.

I knew it would take me a few years, but I knew the people were wonderful and that they would come around.

And boy, they did.

And we have the greatest fans in the country, in the world of sports, where we see stars and superstars develop at all levels.

He was indeed in a class by himself.

Truly one of one.

And he will be missed.

Stanley Skip Bertman was 88 years old.

Gosh, I remember as a kid we used to go to LSU baseball games.

There was nothing like the football and basketball, but what he turned it into was really amazing.

Yeah.

Metal bleachers.

Right?

Not a lot of people, as you're here to talk about how they didn't even understand all the language, but he believed in it.

He believed in the conference.

He believed in the program in the school.

And now he built not only the original box, but now the new box where they can see the 11 12,000 on a weekday night.

I mean, they have set the standard in college baseball, and it's all because of what Skip, Skip Bertman built and Victor even on social media.

Tributes are just pouring in from across the country.

He died at 2:00 this morning.

But social media sometimes can be a cesspool.

I mean, people just act so ridiculous.

But you get on social media, look at the comments being made from his former players, current players, coaches, opponents, all the respect to Skip.

You know, they named a new national coach of the year after him.

We now see the reason why he was truly a Baton Rouge diamond and legend in not only Baton Rouge, but in the state of Louisiana.

He will be missed.

Well, thank you so much.

In other news, every summer Boy Scouts from across the country braved the Louisiana heat for a different kind of summer adventure at Louisiana Swamp Base.

They're learning about leadership and conservation while getting an up close look at one of the country's most unique landscapes.

The sun is just beginning to rise over the basin, and for these scouts, an adventure they'll never forget is just getting underway.

They've traveled thousands of miles to experience a place many have only heard about their participating in Louisiana Swamp Base, a high adventure program that invites young people to experience the basin firsthand.

For many, this is their first look at the edge of basin.

It's a place that has a way of changing perspectives.

Everyone thinks, oh, swamp, it's going to be muddy.

It's going to be.

There's gonna be so many bugs can be very gross, but you get out and see it.

It's more, oh, it's like really nice horizon.

It's trees.

They're really nice.

It's cool water and it's not muddy.

For many, that first glimpse of the basin changes everything, and that's the experience swamp base was built to create at the edge of the basin.

The Evangeline Area Council transformed the former McGee's landing into what is now Louisiana Swamp Base, a place where adventure and conservation go hand in hand.

Today, visitors are welcomed by accessible floating docks, tour boats and a growing campus designed to introduce more people to the basin.

We developed a high adventure program, which is getting scouts from across the country to come down here, see this place firsthand by being challenged over a 61.6 mile paddle adventure.

They're going to see the diverse swamp environment, the 1.4 million acres of each layer.

So all of the lakes, the bayous, the cypress forest, they're going to see the wildlife, all the birds that migrate through the area, the large wading birds.

And of course, their favorite thing is going to be the alligators.

That experience begins with the five day canoe trek more than 60 miles through the heart of the accolades.

Basin.

Expectations have definitely been exceeded, and I've seen a lot of things that I didn't think I'd see, like alligators.

I mean, coming is formed by expect alligators to be here, but I didn't think I'd actually see one in person.

And just like the beautiful scenery around along the way, scouts paddled through cypress forests, camping hammocks, and experience a side of Louisiana few people ever see.

We saw in an article in Boys Life, which was the old magazine that all scouts get like get subscribed to when their kids.

And I was like, you know, this would absolutely 1,000% put the boys out of their comfort zone.

And the first crew we took were all like 13 year old, 14 year old kids.

And it was like the best trip of their lives.

For swamp based leaders, the goal goes far beyond the adventure.

It's about helping people experience the escape basin firsthand and understand why it's worth protecting.

The basin is one of the most important wetlands in North America, a place that supports wildlife, filters water, and sustains the unique landscape of South Louisiana.

We're so blessed to have people that have fallen in love with the program, but I think the program is just the kind of the opening for them to be able to fall in love with Louisiana.

We've got so much to offer the rest of the country.

To have that positive opportunities with these scouts, I think, is just serves us to be able to benefit for years to come.

More than 20,000 people visit Louisiana Swamp Base each year, and leaders are already looking ahead.

Plans include a new welcome center, educational classrooms, and even more opportunities for visitors to experience the basin.

Every kid who comes back from this trip has a completely different view, and there's not a single kid.

And this is our third trip.

Not a single one of them goes back and says, no, you might not like it.

They all say, next time the troop goes, you got to go to.

For these scouts.

The journey ends with a different view of Louisiana.

For swamp based leaders, that's exactly the point.

The fiddle is more than just an instrument.

Is part of the sound and soul of Louisiana, from Cajun and Creole music to modern hits.

The fiddle helped shape our unique musical identity.

The violin was one of the first stringed instruments.

It dates back to the 1500s, and it's a cornerstone of classical music.

Violin music originated in Europe, but it was shipped in to Louisiana in the 1700s, and the music changed from the violin to the Louisiana fiddle.

Because of the compact, travel friendly size and the sturdy construction.

Europeans brought violins over the Pacific Ocean and bundles.

There are so many people here, you know, there are so many ethnicities in there, so many culture groups like bluegrass and blues and country music.

We have also the, of course, the occasion and the zydeco that many people associate with Louisiana.

Doctor Shane Rasmussen of Northwestern State University works to preserve Louisiana fiddle music by directing statewide cultural programs.

So the mission is going to Folklife Center is to document, preserve, and present the traditional folk life and the culture of Louisiana.

The classical violins made their way down the Mississippi River into Louisiana, and that's when classical violin music began to change.

What's different about the classic European violin versus the Louisiana fiddler?

You know, the difference in The Fiddler on the violin is often how you play it.

Ruth Roland is the director of the Baton Rouge Conservatory and is a classically trained violinist.

The the difference between the violin and the fiddle.

It's basically the same instrument in classical music.

We want to play melodies only in Cajun music, we're pretty much a one man band.

Louisiana fiddles were mass produced, making them cheaper and mixed with additional violins and guitars and bass.

They were loud enough to cut through a noisy room.

So what's the difference between a violin and a fiddle?

The full on the end of the stick.

Josh Charnock is a multi-award winning Louisiana fiddler who today stands as one of the modern masters of the Louisiana folk fiddling tradition.

When you learn to play violin or a certain techniques that we really don't use as fiddle players, the fiddle has more color, it has more rhythm, it's more rhythmic, it's more attuned to it.

Joe gave us a sample of the traditional violin and its transformation into the undisputed king of Louisiana music.

So we'll look at amazing Grace, which is something we play pretty regularly.

The violin style of music is played one note at a time in the traditional melody of a classical European orchestra.

Now, if we're going to try a little something with a little Cajun to it, then we want it to have more color.

Some people call it droning, but we're going to play a couple of strings at the same.

Has more color, has more life to it.

Think you can teach me how to play this?

We're going to do our best.

All right.

If you'll stick that under your chin.

Okay.

Stick your thumb in their.

Turn that over and drag the bow.

It's that Louisiana fiddle that brings new life to the historic violin music.

The fiddle produces a louder and faster musical sound, more in line with dances and celebrations.

The European violin.

The bridge is more curved to make it easier to play on only one string at a time.

Like twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

The fiddle has a more flat bridge so that you can play two strings more easily.

Today, that fiddle music unique to Louisiana is being preserved, with fiddle competitions and concerts being performed all around Louisiana.

Sometimes there aren't a lot of places for them to perform.

Some people have, you know, a local jam session at the local parish library or the museum or, or they have a friend group or a family group, and that's great.

But some people don't have that.

And so they're looking for places to connect with other fiddlers to be part of a larger community.

So the fiddle remains at the heartbeat of Louisiana musical scene with great music, great festivals and great teachers.

Ready.

You know, Johnny, I played the violin and you did a pretty good job with the fiddle.

Improved a little.

All right.

Well, that is our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LBB anytime, wherever you are with our LBF, and you can catch LPB news and public affairs shows, as well as other Louisiana programs that you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and Instagram for everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting, I'm Christina Jensen and I'm Johnny Atkinson.

Until next time.

That's the state we're in.

Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and by Visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.