The Water Institute

Understanding climate risk means understanding not only where hazards occur, but who may be most affected.

A new story from Yale Climate Connections highlights work in Texas to map climate hazards alongside social and community factors, giving local leaders a clearer picture of where risks overlap and where resources may be most needed.

As Senior Social Scientist Katya Wowk explains, connecting these datasets can help local leaders and health care providers ask better questions and make more informed decisions — from identifying where cooling centers may be needed during extreme heat to understanding conditions that could affect patients’ health outcomes.

Listen to the 90-second story: https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/09/This-Texas-county-is-mapping-climate-risks-and-the-people-most-exposed/

yaleclimateconnections.org

Flood data is most useful when it helps people make better decisions.

A new Forbes article explores how The Water Institute and ICEYE are pairing satellite observations with FloodID® to help emergency managers better understand where flooding is happening, where it may go next, and what that information means for response.

The article also highlights something central to our work: technology alone isn’t enough. Turning data into action requires local knowledge, trusted relationships and tools designed around the decisions communities actually need to make.

Read more about the partnership and the future of flood intelligence: https://thewaterinstitute.org/media/satellites-can-see-flooding-through-clouds-the-challenge-is-turning-data-into-decisions

Congratulations to Dr. Ioannis Georgiou, Director of Coastal and Deltaic Systems, who was recognized last night at Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s 30th annual Coastal Stewardship Awards.

In his over 25 years of working in the Mississippi River Delta Plain, Dr. Georgiou has contributed to the stewardship of our coast in countless ways:

🌊Leading technical modeling efforts to support Louisiana’s Sediment Diversion Program through the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.

🌊Playing a major role in the development of the 2023 Coastal Master Plan.

🌊Researching barrier island and inlet dynamics, saltwater intrusion, and the impacts of storms on sediment exchange, informing long-term coastal planning.

🌊Contributing to national coastal science dialogues.

🌊Mentoring over 40 students and researchers in their own work in coastal Louisiana and beyond.

Dr. Georgiou’s colleagues describe him as a thoughtful and collaborative team member who is always looking to share his knowledge with students and early-career scientists.

Congratulations, Dr. Georgiou!

The Water Institute is looking for a Project Manager based in Baton Rouge to plan, lead, and shepherd projects from conception to completion with an anticipated start date of January 2027. The project manager will ensure projects are performed on time, within budget and meet the objectives and scope. The project manager will act as the main link between researchers, clients, Institute senior executives, and other stakeholders.

🗂️Serves as Project Manager for projects selected in coordination with the Project Management Office Manager and Research Directors.

🗂️Manages projects to ensure project activities will accomplish project objectives and scope while seeking efficiencies and synergies.

🗂️Works with Grants and Contracts department to procure subconsultant / subrecipient services, evaluates subcontractor services, and tracks sub deliverables against SOW.

🗂️Recommends and/or coordinates changes with clients and partners as required.

🗂️Performs overall quality control by reviewing scope, schedule and project team coordination.

🗂️Regularly reviews project costs and trajectory to identify cost variances, elevates any variances to leadership, and participates in regular project review meetings to discuss variances.

🗂️Has a clear understanding of invoicing requirements, promptly completes monitoring reports and invoices, following up with clients as necessary to ensure prompt payment.

🗂️Achieves full acceptance of deliverables by ensuring project deliverables and work meet the requirements.

🗂️Perform other related duties as assigned.

To see the full job description and apply visit https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=cfe9eb33-0f69-467c-bb2a-1bd0ea7c0cf1&ccId=19000101_000001&lang=en_US&jobId=923442

The Water Institute recently met with the National Marine Mammal Foundation in Baton Rouge to explore shared goals and opportunities to work together in support of healthier communities, ecosystems and marine mammals across the Gulf Coast.

Over two days, our teams shared expertise, identified areas of alignment, visited several regional partners and facilities, and began discussing how our complementary strengths could support future research, restoration and community resilience efforts where marine mammals and humans are intricately linked.

As part of the visit, we stopped at Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) for a tour with Brian Roberts, Executive Director and Chief Scientist, and visited The Coastal Center at Nicholls State University, hosted by Laci Melancon, Executive Director. We rounded out the trip at LSU New Orleans, meeting with Commander Otero, NIWC, and Evie Pointevent Sanders, Vice President of Innovation & Enterprise at Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.).

We’re grateful for the opportunity to connect with NMMF and learn more about their fantastic work, and we look forward to future collaboration.

Now Accepting Bids! – United Houma Nation Administration Building Reconstruction | Terrebonne Parish, LA

The United Houma Nation is seeking qualified contractors to bid on the reconstruction of the UHN Administration Building at 400 Monarch Drive, Houma, LA 70364. This work is Phase 1 of the United Houma Nation RISING project and is funded by a 2024 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Resilience Regional Challenge grant.

The project will retrofit the existing structure (heavily damaged by Hurricane Ida and ongoing stormwater issues) with a resilient Central Community Resilience Hub designed for both everyday operations and post-disaster response.

Project Scope (summary):
• Removal of the damaged pieces of the structure and most of the foundation
• Update and retrofitting construction of a flood-, wind-, and energy-resilient building
• Facility will include a commercial kitchen, offices, meeting spaces, archive/document storage, and features to support normal operations and emergency response

Key Dates:
September 8 – Bids open for submission at noon
September 22 – Mandatory Bid Conference
October 16 – Bid due by noon on this date. Sealed bids will not be opened publicly.

How to Submit:
Bids may be delivered in person at 187 Corporate Drive, Houma, LA 70360
or online at: https://www.cityblueprintplans.com/

If you do not have an account with City Blueprint and Supply Company, you can search the project by name or by searching “United Houma Nation”

Questions:
Contact the United Houma Nation at 985-223-3093 or [email protected]

The United Houma Nation reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

After a year of incredible work, we are saying farewell to our Science Policy Fellow Fuad Shatara.

Joining The Water Institute through the National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Program Fellowship, Fuad has been an integral part of the Coastal Ecology Department and the RESTORE Act Center of Excellence (LA-COE). His projects included assisting with the production of the LA-COE 10-year impact report, development of the Bayou Bienvenue Restoration Priortitization Plan, eDNA lab work, and so much more.

Good luck, Fuad and thank you for being a big part of our team. We can’t wait to see where you go from here!