InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society > Student Materials > Module 8: Managed Retreat/Multi-Layered Protection > Multi-Layered Defenses > Isle de Jean Charles Example
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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
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These student materials complement the Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.
Initial Publication Date: December 7, 2016

Isle de Jean Charles Example

The Coastal Louisiana example of Multi-Layered Defenses

In this section, we will take a look at one community that we featured in Module 6: Isle de Jean Charles. This small community of Native Americans is grappling with the idea of relocation. The video included in Module 6 highlighted the range of feelings among the community members, most of who are so attached to their land that they are resisting moving even a short distance inland.

An additional video, produced by the New York Times introduces the challenges faced by the residents.

Note: The video player may take some time to load in Chrome. You can click the link to watch on the NYT's website instead.

Levees are not the only form of protection for coastal communities. Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan incorporates the concept of a multi-layered defense system that includes barrier islands, marsh, and natural ridge restoration projects, (many of which involve pumping sediment from a designated location, often from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico) as well as the use of fresh water and sediment diversions from the Mississippi River to build new land.

Required Reading

Learn more about this complex plan by visiting:

Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA): Master Plan Overview

CPRA Master Plan

What is Multi-layered Protection?

A clear explanation of the concept of Multi-layered protection is presented by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation outlined at http://www.mlods.org/. This conceptual approach identifies eleven "lines of defense" against storm surge. They are:

  • Offshore shelf
  • Barrier islands
  • Sound
  • Marsh land bridge
  • Natural ridge
  • Highway
  • Flood gate
  • Levee
  • Pump station
  • Elevated buildings
  • Evacuation route



These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »