JESSICA RZ SIMMS

Hi. I'm Jessica.

Jessica RZ Simms, PhD is a cultural geographer whose work aims to advance equitable approaches to climate adaptation and resilience in Louisiana and beyond. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her partner, MD, and dog, Tuesday.

Current Projects

Laborde Report
Book
Interviews
Laborde Endowed Chair

PUBLICATIONS

2024
Compounding Disasters in Gulf Coast Communities, 2020-2021: Impacts, Findings, and Lessons Learned2022
Struggle for Transdisciplinary Moments: Building Partnerships for ResettlementSocial Impacts of Deepwater Horizon Spill on Coastal Communities Along the US Gulf of Mexico2021
The Long Goodbye on a Disappearing Ancestral Island: A Just Retreat from Isle de Jean CharlesSolastalgic Landscapes: Prospects of Relocation in Coastal Louisiana2020
The Sauer Tree in Time and Place2017
"Why Would I Live Anyplace Else?": Resilience, Sense of Place and Possibilities of MigrationSocial Justice and Mobility in Coastal Louisiana, USA2015
Oil Spills and Community Resilience: Uneven Impacts and Protection in Historical Perspective

PRESS

I was featured in this PBS NewsHour report on the growing conversation around planned relocations — when communities are assisted to move away from their homes and settle in a new and safer location. As lead outreach and engagement coordinator for the $48.3M Isle de Jean Charles Resettlement program in coastal Louisiana, I spoke about why relocations initiated and led by members of the relocating community will have better outcomes and higher chances of success.

I was featured on PBS's Weathered: Earth's Extremes, speaking about the socioeconomic impacts of climate change on communities in Louisiana. Not long after Hurricane Ida, my insurance company went under and my new rates were double what I’d paid before, and rising. I had to make the life changing decision to sell my home and relocate — and I sat down with host Maiya May to share that story. From skyrocketing insurance rates to the future of coastal living, this episode explores what it means to adapt, stay, or leave the place you call home