Tag Archives: .Grand Isle
‘A blessing.’ Grand Isle locals left homeless by Ida get new houses built by nonprofit
Christian and Terrill Pizani braved Hurricane Ida three years ago from his 67-foot shrimp boat in Port Fourchon, where the storm unleashed 130 mph winds as it made landfall. By the time it passed, their home back in Grand Isle — Louisiana’s last inhabited barrier island 17 miles east — was left decimated. The couple spent seven months living on the shrimp boat before eventually using money from an insurance payout to buy an RV they parked among the wreckage of their former home. “We didn’t want to be caught with no place to live,” Christian recalled. But after nearly three years without a house, the couple on Tuesday received the keys to a brand-new, storm-resilient home built by a local nonprofit. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:55
Grand Isle shrimp dock owner Dean Blanchard takes good with the bad after Hurricane Ida
The docks at Blanchard Seafood plant are about as close to the Gulf of Mexico as possible without getting wet. When Hurricane Ida struck the island, all that changed. The processing plant was not only inundated, but the winds tore away walls and ceilings, leaving owner and wholesaler Dean Blanchard with more than $1 million in damage. “It was Katrina-like damage,” Blanchard said. “There was less water damage but a hell of a lot of wind damage. We thought Katrina was a once-in-a-lifetime storm, but apparently it wasn’t.” At 63, Blanchard has seen his share of disasters impacting not only his seafood business but also the whole state. >click to read< 09:38
The Oysterman, the Pirate and Louisiana’s disappearing wetlands
Maurer was in a bind. Hurricane Ida had decimated the supply chain. The storm swept through the heart of Louisiana’s $2.4bn seafood industry, which supports one out of 70 jobs in the state, leaving him with no roads, no power, and very little seed. He decided he needed to find “new routes to market, whether by boat or by land. Go pirate on them.” He meant this literally. As he looked for a solution among the lingering chaos of the hurricane, he thought of the notorious pirate Jean Laffite, who once operated out of Grand Isle. Maurer decided he would follow the same route: He bought Les Bons Temps to see if he could bring his catch to town directly, bypassing the wrecked roads and bridges. photos, >click to read< 15:12
Video: Coast Guard medevacs shark attack victim with partially amputated leg, overboard from commercial fishing vessel
The Coast Guard medevaced an injured crew member from a fishing vessel after a shark attack approximately 35 miles southeast of Grand Isle, Louisiana, Friday. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a call at 12:51 a.m. via VHF-FM channel 16 from personnel aboard the fishing vessel F/V Moon Glow stating a 64-year-old male crew member had been attacked by a shark and sustained a severe leg injury. The man had reportedly been untangling fishing nets from the vessel’s propeller when he fell overboard and was bitten by a shark of an unknown size and species. Crew members aboard the Moon Glow applied a tourniquet to the man’s partially amputated leg and radioed for help. photos, >click for video< 17:19
Grand Isle, Louisiana: Extensive damage to many boats in the fishing community, photos.
Damage from Hurricane Ida is still being assessed after it made landfall on Sunday. The storm caused at least four deaths in Louisiana and Mississippi, while thousands more were left without power and continued flooding. One area that saw extensive damage was Grand Isle, a fishing community in southeastern Louisiana, also known as the Cajun Riviera. Boats were flipped over and left sideways in the water and along roads. Roofs of many lake houses were swept away by the storm’s strong winds and rain. 55 Photos, >click to read< 16:55
Video: “WE’RE STILL HERE!” Captain brings shrimp boat and crew to safety through big blow in the Gulf of Mexico
“We might lose her.” Aaron Callais, who is from Galliano, says they were about 10-15 miles off the coast of Grand Isle when the wind and waves started thrashing against his boat, F/V Ramblin’ Cajun. There were three people on board,,, The video, shows lightning lighting up the sky as the boat is tossed, often leaning to the side. Callais prepared his crew for the worst, asking them to secure their life jackets. Then, a call to his parents. “The windows are cracking…they’re rattling…we’re about to lose the boat, I think we’re going to roll. I love you mom, I need you to put dad on the phone.” >click to read/watch< 14:40
Grand Isle scrambles to clean up after freak storm: “It was like a baby hurricane”
Businesses, residents and town workers in Grand Isle scrambled Wednesday to pump out water and clear debris ahead of a second batch of bad weather expected to blow through the island by about 3 p.m. Grand Isle was hit suddenly by a violent storm Tuesday afternoon with wind gusts of up to 90 mph and rain that flooded streets, sank boats, stripped shingles off of roofs and threw trash cans and other unsecured personal property around, said Mayor David Camardelle. photo’s >click to read< 14:34
1 dead after capsized vessel caught in ‘microburst’ of bad weather off the Louisiana coast; 12 still missing, 6 rescued – The Coast Guard searched for 12 people missing off the coast of Louisiana on Wednesday,,, Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson III confirmed the missing crew members were on board the Seacor Power before it flipped over miles south of Port Fourchon. Capt. Ronald Dufrene said his offshore trawler Mister Jug was among the shrimp boats that struggled to survive the storm. >click to read<
Oyster hatchery ‘dream building’ soon to open on Grand Isle
GRAND ISLE — After years of planning and years of catastrophes, a building to house oyster hatchery operations on Grand Isle is under construction and expected to provide a big boost to Louisiana’s oyster industry. more@theadvocate
BP to investigate new tar balls, oil on Louisiana coast – By Jimmy Isaac
GRAND ISLE, La. (CNN) – BP said Wednesday it is heading to the Louisiana coast to test whether tar balls and oil found on shore after Hurricane Isaac are from the company’s 2010 Gulf oil spill. State officials reported tar balls and a large oil mat along the Gulf shore south of New Orleans, and the U.S. Coast Guard reported finding three oiled birds in the area on Monday. BP spokesman Ray Melick said the area is one where BP teams were already helping with cleanup from the 2010 spill before Isaac arrived. As soon as they’re given the all-clear, they will return to do more cleanup and test whether the new oil is from their spill or another source. “There’s a lot of oil out there that may not be ours,” Melick said. The area is near Fourchon Beach and Grand Isle. Certain areas are still closed to recreational and commercial fishing because of the BP spill, state officials said. People on Grand Isle said they were hopeful Isaac would stir up the waters and move leftover oil out of the area so it could help revive the fishing waters off the coast http://www.cbs19.tv/story/19475707/bp-to-investigate-new-tar-balls-oil-on-louisiana-coast
