Woman Says She Wants To Go To New Orleans Before It ‘Sinks.’ Uh, Is It Really Sinking?: ‘Y’all Do Realize New York & Cali Are Also Sinking’

It’s pretty common for tourists to say they want to visit somewhere “before it gets ruined.”

Usually, travelers mean that they want to see a destination before it becomes overrun by tourists and tourism-related industries. For example, Venice, Italy, was once known for its canals and the way the local population integrated them into their daily lives. Now, as over 30 million people visit the city every year, life has become difficult for local residents—so much so that there’s only about 50,000 left.

Sometimes, this feared change is not due to tourism but to the environment. As waters rise, several populated islands are at risk of being lost. If travelers want to visit them, they may not have much time before the people and the islands’ culture are gone forever.

But is New Orleans one of these places at risk of being lost?

Is New Orleans Sinking?

Recently, a video began making the rounds on TikTok that offered a bold claim. According to TikTok user @10ve13ss, their “dream date” involves “going to New Orleans before it sinks.”

It’s unclear whether the user’s video, which currently has over 4.3 million views, is intended to be a joke. The fact that they have the word “s—posting” in their bio and that the first photo in their video is actually from the Disneyland Dream Suite balcony overlooking New Orleans Square (located in California) would lead one to believe that this video isn’t intended to be serious.

However, some commenters insisted that the city really is sinking.

“Yall do realize New York & Cali are also sinking too it’s a well known fact that a lot of places are for a number of reasons,” said a commenter.

“oh my god ofc the most magical city we have is sinking,” offered another.

The Sinking City Of New Orleans

According to Science, New Orleans is, in fact, sinking. Some reports put the estimated sink rate between one inch to just under two inches annually.

This has a few negative consequences. First, much of the infrastructure built to protect the city from future storms is at risk of being lost or, at the very least, becoming less effective. This means that the city will be more vulnerable in the event of a major weather incident.

Second, the New York Times reports that this decrease in elevation could be a sign that the wetlands are slowly dying. Wetlands can act as a natural buffer against extreme weather events while also adding to the area’s local beauty.

Are Other Cities Sinking?

To be clear, New Orleans is not the only city that is sinking. Recent studies have found that New York, Detroit, Chicago, Seattle, and other major cities are all sinking at varying rates.

That said, it’s not as though the city will sink all the way into the ground anytime soon. The risk associated with sinking generally involves heightened risks associated with weather events—not the city suddenly being swallowed entirely by a sinkhole.

Still, given this, there’s a chance that these weather events could spell the destruction of the historic city. According to some estimates, significant portions of the city could be underwater by the year 2100. This is due not only to rising waters but to damages done during extreme weather events.

Commenters Have Thoughts

In the comments section, users offered their thoughts on the sinking city.

“I live in Louisiana. The main problem isn’t just that parts of New Orleans are sinking, slightly. IT’S THAT THE SEA LEVELS ARE RISING DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE,” stated a user. “It genuinely baffles me that people seem to not understand (or they just don’t want to acknowledge) the distinction.”

“Yall really need to try cafe du mond beignets in ur life,” added another. “i swear its everything.”

“Maybe if the government actually cared enough to continue caring about New Orleans, it wouldn’t be sinking so rapidly,” offered a third. “New Orleans never truly recovered from Katrina.”

BroBible reached out to @10ve13ss via TikTok direct message and comment.