24/07/2016
Grand Isle (In French it's called: Grande-Île) is a town in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, located on a barrier island of the same as the Gulf of Mexico. The island is at the mouth of Barataria Bay where it meets the gulf. Back from the 2010 census, the town's residentency population was 1,296 people; during summers, the population including tourists and seasonal residents sometimes increases to over 20,000 people. It's crazy because Grand Isle is statistically part of the New Orleans−Metairie−KennerMetropolitan Statistical Area, even though it is not connected to New Orleans' continuous urbanized area.
Grand Isle's main street is the seaside start of Louisiana Highway 1 (LA 1), which stretches 436.2 miles away to the northwest corner of the state, ending near Shreveport, Louisiana. LA 1'sautomobile causeway at the west end of the island is the only land access to or from Grand Isle. Direct access to Grand Isle's seat of parish government is 95 miles away in suburban Jefferson Parish, which leaves the town somewhat politically isolated in more ways than one.
Over the many decades, Grand Isle has been repeatedly pummeled by hurricanes and tropical storms through its history. On an average, Grand Isle has been affected by tropical storms or hurricanes every 2.68 years (since 1877), with direct hits to the island on an average of every 7.88 years.
Hurricanes (is a gathering of heat and energy through contact with the warm ocean waters) are classified according to wind speed and flooding. The Saffir-Simpson Scale has been used by meteorologists since 1969 as a way to compare damage inflicted by tropical storms.
A hurricane is a huge storm that typically forms in the Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean or in the Gulf of Mexico.
Listed below are the classifications:
Tropical Depression
Winds: 38 mph or less
Tropical Storm
Winds: 39-73mph
Category 1
Winds: 74 to 95 mph
Storm surge: 4 to 5 feet above normal
Damage primarily to trees and unanchored mobile homes. Some coastal flooding.
Category 2
Winds: 96 to 110 mph
Storm surge: 6 to 8 feet
Some damage to roofs, doors, windows, trees and shrubbery; flooding damage to piers.
Category 3
Winds: 111 to 130 mph
Storm surge: 9 to 12 feet
Some structural damage; large trees blown down; flooding near shoreline and possibly inland; mobile homes destroyed.
Category 4
Winds: 131 to 155 mph
Storm surge: 13 to 18 feet
Extensive damage to doors and windows; major damage to lower floors near shore; terrain may be flooded well inland.
Category 5
Winds: in excess of 155 mph
Storm surge: more than 18 feet
Complete roof failure and some building failures; massive evacuation. Flooding causes major damage to lower floors of all shoreline buildings.
Back in 1860 a 6-foot storm surge and great winds resulted in the total devastation of the island. But, back from the 1893 Atlantic hurricane season Grand Isle was devastated by a 16-foot storm surge. Yet again, from the 1909 Atlantic hurricane season the island was hit with a second 16-foot storm surge. A Category 4 hurricane devastated Grand Isle on 29 September during the 1915 Atlantic hurricane season. Grand Isle was hit by a 3.6-foot storm surge on 22 August during the 1947 Atlantic hurricane season. In 1956 Hurricane Flossy damaged the island.
Hurricane Betsy in September 1965 and Tropical Storm Frances in 1998 put the entire island under water. On September 26, 2002, Grand Isle was hit by Hurricane Isidore, soon followed by Hurricane Lili passing passing west of the island, causing significant damage. Hurricane Cindy scored a direct hit on Grand Isle on July 5, 2005 (which was on my birthday). Even though damage was essentially limited to power outages and beach erosion, the storm's strength still caught residents by surprise.
Hurricane Katrina pounded Grand Isle for two days, August 28–29, 2005, destroying or damaging homes and camps along the entire island. Katrina's surge reached 5 ft at Grand Isle. Large waves severely damaged the only bridge linking Grand Isle to the mainland. A news report published less than two days after the hurricane hit falsely noted, however, that the area had been completely destroyed, reporting a scenario similar to that which befell Last Island in 1856. Less than a month later, Grand Isle was further affected by Hurricane Rita. By mid October, a number of businesses were again open on the island.
Hurricane Gustav reached shore west of the island on September 1, 2008, and hit it with a measured wind speed of 105 mph. It was one of the few locations in Louisiana affected while the storm was still classified as major hurricane. While both storms' eyes passed the island at similar distances, Katrina's eastern passing caused greatest damage on the bay side of island. The Gustav surge that washed over the island caused less damage than Katrina, in part due to the most vulnerable structures having already been destroyed by Katrina. Current construction codes prevented the rebuilding of such vulnerable structures. Barataria Pass water levels peaked at 5 ft above recent high tide. Homes along Louisiana Highway 1 had 2 ft of water below them. Large sections of levee/dunes were washed onto the highway.
Hurricane Ike passed far south of the island on September 11, 2008, while crews worked to restore power and repair the levee/dune damage caused by Gustav. Some sections of LA 1 west of the island were covered by 1 ft of water. Wind gusts reached 50 mph and Barataria Pass water levels reached 3 ft above recent high tide while Ike was 200 miles away.
Fishing is an important part of Grand Isle's culture. Most of the islander residents live off of the resources (fish, shrimp and crabs) that come from the Gulf of Mexico. The island is a premier destination for avid fishermen as anglers adore the more than 280 species of fish in the surrounding waters. In 1928, the annual Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo, fishing tournament, was established on the island and is now one of the premier salt water fishing rodeos in the United States. The Cajun rodeo draws over 15,000 people annually offering tourists the opportunity to witness the big catch, enjoy local seafood, and mingle with locals.
The island also has well maintained beaches. Grand Isle State Park, is on the east end of the island, is the only state-owned and operated beach on the Louisiana Gulf Coast. The beach is a popular destination for people living in South Louisiana. In 2010, Yahoo Travel named Grand Isle one of America's Top 10 winter beach retreats. In 2011, Yahoo travel names Grand Isle one of the Top 5 island getaways.
In Grand Isle, there are so many Lodge/ camps/motel/rv sites that can be rented out by the week or weekend. You can go to www.townofgrandisle.com for all of your lodging needs. It truly is a must place to visit.