Student newspaper serving Tulane University, Uptown New Orleans

The Tulane Hullabaloo

Navigate Left
  • New Orleans Fire and Tulane Police were on the scene of a reported fire in Percival Stern Hall on Sept. 22, 2023.

    News

    Fire reported in Stern Hall prompts brief evacuation Friday

  • Tulane University will require students to sign up for tickets to all future home games after the student section filled to capacity nearly an hour before kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 9 against Ole Miss.

    Football

    Tulane Football finds success: Can they sustain it?

  • Tulane, along with similar private universities, dropped significantly in US News 2024 college rankings. US News made significant changes to their methodology in their ranking system, no longer considering factors like class size.

    News

    Tulane drops significantly in US News college rankings

  • Tulane Football achieved one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history last season. Can the Green Wave do it again?

    Football

    Key takeaways before Green Wave enters conference play

  • Former Tulane coach Buddy Teevens dies at 66

    Football

    Former Tulane coach Buddy Teevens dies at 66

  • TUCP brings Michelle Zauner to campus

    Arcade

    TUCP brings Michelle Zauner to campus

  • OPINION | Tulane’s ranking drops 30 points: Here’s why

    Views

    OPINION | Tulane’s ranking drops 30 points: Here’s why

  • Gameday banners hung during the Tulane vs. Ole Miss game raise questions about what kinds of insults are acceptable in college sports.

    Views

    OPINION | Southern prejudice, elitism still unacceptable, even at football games

  • Hundreds of students gathered to celebrate the Jewish New Year at Chabad house, enjoying dinner and services.

    News

    Rosh Hashanah services draw crowds of all faiths

  • Tribute concert to NOLA jazz legend is rousing success

    Arcade

    Tribute concert to NOLA jazz legend is rousing success

  • Tulane’s Fashion Club executives provide insights on what is in vogue right now.

    Arcade

    Fashionably late to class: Trends in Tulane fashion

  • Tulane told New York Times that the university is an equal opportunity educator.

    Views

    OPINION| Tulane has more women than men. Maybe that’s normal.

  • TUPDs newest officer Max the dog offers mental support to students, but also serves as bomb detector.

    News

    Max: Tulane’s newest paw enforcement officer

  • As Diplomat in Residence, Shane Hough will guide students to careers in the State Department.

    News

    Shane Hough named new Diplomat in Residence

  • Best classes at Tulane: Seniors weigh in

    Arcade

    Best classes at Tulane: Seniors weigh in

Navigate Right
Student newspaper serving Tulane University, Uptown New Orleans

The Tulane Hullabaloo

Student newspaper serving Tulane University, Uptown New Orleans

The Tulane Hullabaloo

flytedesk: Box (In-Story)
flytedesk (In-Story | Box)
flytedesk (Sidebar | Half Page)

Wildfires throughout Louisiana prompt climate concern

“Basically, the water is on fire,” Laura McKinney, director of environmental studies and sociology professor, said. “That should be concerning to anyone.” (Shyla Krishnappa)

Louisiana experienced the largest wildfires in the state’s history this summer, burning over 53,000 acres in August alone. Around 550 wildfires swept through the state’s southwestern region in one month.

On Aug. 8, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell signed a Mayoral Proclamation of Emergency for the upcoming peak hurricane season and the record-breaking heat wave. On Aug. 7, the state issued a statewide burn ban due to extremely dry conditions. This mandate ordered a cease and desist for all private burning in the state.

Harley Jeanise is the regional vice president at First Onsite Property Restoration, a disaster recovery and restoration company. Jeanise covers Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. 

“I think the significance [of the wildfires] is there’s a lot of unpredictability in it,” Jeanise said. “And when we have jobs like this, the Gulf Coast is not just a threat for hurricane-related weather, but when we get these heavy droughts, and we get into really dry parts of the season, there’s opportunity for something like this to pop up.” 

Peak hurricane season in Louisiana runs from mid-August through October. This season in Louisiana is unusual, with a combination of drought, wildfires and what forecasters predicted as an “above-average hurricane season.”  

“From what I’ve read, this is the most significant wildfire in Louisiana’s history,” Jeanise said. “I think the residents aren’t quite as prepared, especially during this time of season where we’re expecting hurricane season; for [wildfires] to come in on the heels of hurricane season is definitely unusual. Although there’s been a lot of value and effort to shrink it, to get it out, [wildfires] just continue to spread.”

Aug. 27 was the hottest day ever in Southeast Louisiana, with a temperature of 105. This July was the hottest month on record for the entire planet.

“Basically, the water is on fire,” Laura McKinney, director of environmental studies and sociology professor, said. “That should be concerning to anyone. The excessive heat that we’ve had since June, in terms of severity and duration, is simply unprecedented. I think this year has really been emblematic of meetings and tipping points, where the consequences of climate change grew exponentially rather than in a linear or additive fashion.”

Sociology and environmental studies professor Christopher Oliver discussed the recent drought and climate changes with his students.

“We’re getting record heat in urban areas, which is a combination of what’s happening with solar radiation, but also the fact that we’re heat islands,” Oliver said. “All these things aren’t unrelated. They’re all within the broader models of climate change; as things begin to heat up, even by small incremental changes, it doesn’t take much more time and impact.”

Oliver said responding to environmental issues like the drought and wildfires takes both quick response from leaders in the short term, as well as a long-term plan to combat climate change. 

“It’s going to take much more political will to mitigate climate change,” Oliver said. “I think that until everyone, politicians and the public, can put all the puzzle pieces together and see that this is part of a broader thing … then we’re going to be caught off guard.”

Donate to The Tulane Hullabaloo
$3175
$3000
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of Tulane University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

Donate to The Tulane Hullabaloo
$3175
$3000
Contributed
Our Goal