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Relocation to Restoration: Community-led relocation planning and habitat restoration in the Mississippi Sound

Our neighborhood is not a safe place to live because of the risk of flooding and industrial contamination. Over the past decade, there have been at least 40 reported cancer cases, along with 27 deaths from heart and lung diseases and cancer, unrelated to COVID-19. The risk is compounded by potential industrial accidents, particularly in light of severe and worsening weather events, including the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

In response to these challenges, we partnered with Buy-In Community Planning to initiate efforts to explore voluntary buyout programs for residents. We began by surveying our neighbors to gauge the level of interest for relocation. We learned that there is overwhelming support for relocation. Our survey indicated that 90% of Cherokee Forest residents are either interested in a buyout or seek more information about it, with 74% expressing a desire to relocate as soon as possible.

Word cloud created from responses to the following question: Is there anything you want us to share with government agencies regarding your concerns about a potential buyout of Cherokee Subdivision?

“We have a house we can’t live in; we have a house we can’t rent, and a house we can’t sell.” ~Barbara Weckesser, CCC co-founder

Planning for Relocation to Restoration

In March 2024, Buy-In secured a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support this community-driven planning process. The Relocation to Restoration project seeks to develop a plan to acquire high-risk properties from willing owners and restore these areas into native Gulf Coast habitats. This ecosystem restoration will enhance biodiversity, improve water quality, and create a protective ecological buffer against hurricanes, sea-level rise, and the ongoing pollution from Bayou Casotte Industrial Park.

We are excited to be working with Buy-In on this project because of their holistic approach to buyout programs, addressing the people, housing, and land — Who wants to move? Where will they go? What happens to the land that gets left behind?

Though many of us are ready to move now, planning for what happens to the land we leave behind is exciting. We can relocate out of harms way while also reducing health and safety risks for nearby neighborhoods and improving the climate resiliency of the entire city of Pascagoula.

"We care about all of our neighbors and want to leave knowing that they too will be better off for it." ~ Karla Hopson

Thanks to the support of our diverse team of community leaders and experts, we are confident that we will create a robust strategy for relocation and restoration. For more information about this project and ways you can get involved, please contact Jennifer Crosslin at jennifer@betterbuyout.com

The Steering Committee