Institute for Coastal and Water Research UL Lafayette

04/23/2026

🔴 UL Lafayette leading international flood resilience project

A research team from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette recently met with U.S. Ambassador to Guyana Nicole D. Theriot during a visit supporting a major U.S.-funded flood resilience project.

Backed by more than $697,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the initiative is led by Emad Hosny Habib, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of the University’s Louisiana Watershed Flood Center at UL Lafayette and its Institute for Coastal & Water Research (ICaWR). It focuses on flood resilience and climate adaptation for communities across the Caribbean region, including the South American nation of Guyana.

“The project illustrates the global impact of our research and education programs" at UL Lafayette and its College of Engineering, Habib said.

The team is working to develop advanced flood modeling tools, build critical data systems, and train local professionals to sustain these efforts long term.

The project is in collaboration with McGill University, Imperial College London, and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).

Article: https://louisiana.edu/news/ul-lafayette-leading-international-flood-resilience













College of Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

03/25/2026

Congratulations to our director, Emad Hosny Habib, for receiving the award for 'Outstanding Achievement in Externally Funded (1M +) Research' during the Research Recognition Ceremony hosted by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development on March 13, 2026.

Dr. Habib is also the Director of the Louisiana Watershed Flood Center at UL Lafayette and Professor in the UL Lafayette College of Engineering.

Pictured: L-R - Ramesh Kolluru, President, Emad Habib, Jaimie Hebert, Provost, and Kumer Pial Das, Interim Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Development.

10/24/2025

Join us next weekend, November 1st and 2nd at the Abbeville Giant Omelette Celebration to share your community's experiences with local water hazards and crises!

History Harvest: Memories of Vermilion’s Water Hazards & Crises Dr. Liz Skilton [email protected], (337) 482-5032.  Dr. Emad Habib [email protected]     …

04/11/2025

On Friday, April 4th, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette hosted its Annual NSF EPSCoR Project Meeting for the project "Reversing Disproportionate Impacts of Hydroclimatic Extremes in Water-Rich Regions via Justice-Minded Research and Collaborative Adaptation Planning.”

They hosted over 35 people from other partner universities (The University of Alabama, Jackson State University, Tulane University, TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY, and LSU) and community leaders. The agenda included building connections, getting to know key project partners, enhancing collaboration and coordination, and establishing goals and action plans for the upcoming project year.

Thank you all for attending!

Louisiana Watershed Flood Center at UL Lafayette

04/11/2025

Members of the Teche-Vermilion Fresh Water District Commission and staff attended the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Association’s Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C. on March 10–11. While there, they met with our Congressional delegation to provide updates on the federally-funded project the district has operated and maintained since the 1970s. They emphasized the project's success in meeting its original goals and the district’s full funding of ongoing operations, major repairs, and replacements.

The team also shared the district’s UL Lafayette-modeled storm preparation plan and its leadership in a multi-agency water quality monitoring program. They discussed the importance of maintaining maximum flow during warmer months and ongoing efforts to address low-flow concerns in Bayou Amy through a district-funded water quality study. Additional pumping capacity and structural upgrades were noted as necessary for increasing flow in the future.

04/07/2025

UL Lafayette is leading a multi-state research project aimed at helping Gulf Coast communities mitigate and respond to flooding.

The $5.8-million project hopes to help communities in three states prepare for and respond to floods.

04/04/2025

Today, we are hosting our inaugural annual meeting for our newly funded National Science Foundation (NSF) project led by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Project: Reversing Disproportionate Impacts of Hydroclimatic Extremes in Water Rich Regions via Justice Minded Research and Collaborative Adaptation Planning
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2418434

https://louisiana.edu/news/58m-nsf-funded-project-tackles-impacts-gulf-climate-extremes

Our partners on the project include:
The University of Alabama
Jackson State University
Tulane University
TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
LSU

UL Lafayette College of Engineering
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Department of Civil Engineering
Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center
UL Lafayette Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Louisiana Watershed Flood Center at UL Lafayette

03/25/2025

Pleased to share our new publication, where we show how stakeholder engagement and incorporation of communities' local knowledge can be used to inform the design and long-term sustainability of flood risk streamflow monitoring networks. The work was the foundation behind the design and implementation of a statewide stream monitoring network for Louisiana, developed as part of the Louisiana Watershed Initiative in collaboration with several federal (USGS, USACE, NWS), state agencies (OCD, DOTD, DEQ, LDWF), and with input from various local organizations.

Thank you to my co-authors at University of Louisiana at Lafayette (Mohamed ElSaadani, Ph.D.; Brian Miles; Robert L. Miller, PhD, PE) and Tulane University (Ehab M.; Mead Allison; Kelin Hu). The article is publicly available through the following link.
View article - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1752-1688.70007?af=R&fbclid=IwY2xjawJP3KBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHXSNtNiSvayHG7Q0sffGttmmKIiI0N9uTUaU7KqAJb0UOF57_J-YYqZFLw_aem_0NCdsYgdCIsZbsEuoGahZg

11/27/2024

Happy Thanksgiving. We are grateful for your support. Our offices will be closed on November 28 & 29.