Gulfport, Mississippi: Struggle Against Flooding and Environmental Injustice

Gulfport, Mississippi, faces increasing flood risks from sea level rise, land subsidence, and the loss of coastal wetlands. These vulnerabilities are compounded by a history of racial segregation and incompatible land use, which has left low-income Black communities like Turkey Creek and North Gulfport more exposed to disasters. Recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was uneven, with disaster aid arriving slower in communities of color and a significant decline in affordable housing. Local organizations are now advocating for wetland protection, equitable distribution of RESTORE Act funds, and better linguistic accessibility in disaster response for Vietnamese-American fishing communities.

• Climate change and local geological factors are increasing flood risks in Harrison County, where sea levels are projected to rise by an additional 19 inches by 2050 due to accelerating sea level rise and land subsidence. This risk is exacerbated by the rapid loss of coastal wetlands to development, which removes natural flood protections.
• Historical settlement patterns and land-use decisions have created systemic environmental injustice in Gulfport. Black freedmen and -women were historically restricted to swampland areas like Turkey Creek and North Gulfport, and current development involving the dredging and filling of wetlands has disproportionately increased flooding risks for these low-income Black communities.
• The recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was characterized by inequality, with disaster aid reaching communities of color more slowly. Additionally, the affordable housing stock in Harrison County decreased by 25 percent following Katrina, a crisis worsened by a preference for repairing single-family owner-occupied homes over multi-family rental units.
• Vietnamese-American fishing communities faced specific barriers during disaster recovery, including the loss of both housing and fishing infrastructure. FEMA aid centers lacked adequate translation services and accessible materials, representing a failure to comply with the diversity of language requirements suggested by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). Gulfport, Mississippi: Struggle Against Flooding and Environmental Injustice. https://www.ucs.org/resources/gulfport-mississippi-struggle-against-flooding-and-environmental-injustice

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Gulfport, Mississippi: Struggle Against Flooding and Environmental Injustice. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/resources/gulfport-mississippi-struggle-against-flooding-and-environmental-injustice.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Gulfport, Mississippi: Struggle Against Flooding and Environmental Injustice |date=8 November 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/gulfport-mississippi-struggle-against-flooding-and-environmental-injustice |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2016gulfport, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Gulfport, Mississippi: Struggle Against Flooding and Environmental Injustice}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = nov, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/gulfport-mississippi-struggle-against-flooding-and-environmental-injustice}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }