For millennia, the Mississippi's silt-rich floodwaters built up the land. But man cut off the river from Louisiana's marshlands. Then he attacked the marsh itself, crisscrossing it with canals and pipelines. The result: The land is sinking, the Gulf is creeping closer, and the natural barriers to a hurricane are disappearing.

Louisiana 5,000 Years Ago

Louisiana 4,000 Years Ago