climate - United States
An island living on borrowed time
Sunday 07 September 2008
The Isle de Jean Charles, off the coast of Louisiana, was hit hard by Hurricane Gustav. It suffers the same fate every time there is a storm. It is now only a matter of time before the whole village here disappears into the Gulf of Mexico.
Sunday 07 September 2008
By Emmanuel Saint Martin in LouisianaFive days after hurricane Gustav, Albert Naquin can finally return to his village, and see for himself the extensive damage. Some houses have disintegrated, others are flooded and are under the mud. Albert Naquin is the chief of the Indian tribe that lives on the Isle de Jean Charles. Indian Cajun, they have French names and speak French. They have been living here for 130 years, most of the time without flooding. But in the last few decades, things have started to change. Any storm now produces a catastrophe that, according to Naquin, is in no way natural.
Al Naquin, Albert’s cousin, has a house on stilts; it escaped the worst. Al decided to come back as soon as possible. More than 300 people were living in the village 3 years ago, but after Hurricane Rita in 2005, almost half of them did not return. A large hurricane protection project is being built in south Louisiana. But the Isle de Jean Charles is left out of the system of levees and canals. Engineers say including this part of the marsh would be too expensive. First, Albert Naquin fought this decision but he finally gave up and now sees only one solution. The chief himself has already left; he lives a few kilometers to the north.
A few years ago, a relocation plan was offered to the village by the federal authorities, but it was rejected because all the inhabitants could not agree. The few people still working here are mainly fishermen, who are afraid to lose their jobs. When the mud is cleaned up, some residents will come back. But they will be fewer than before, all knowing that their village is going to disappear, no matter what, into the Gulf of Mexico.
23/09/2008 03:14:10 Alert a moderator
The people DO NOT want to leave
By Desiray Seaux - crowley louisiana
Albert needs to focus on helping his people not fussing about how tired he is, if your tired let some one else be the chief! This is his indian heritage, his ancestors land, and no one should be giving up, much less the cheif of the tribe!
I have been to the island many times, I know many that live there! The people are poor, many of them can not read or write, they make a living by oyster, shrimp, or crab fishing! Although, moving off may seem like the simplest solution, for many that live on the island, its giving up the only thing they have ever known! The island is almost like a third world country poor, dirty and in need of desperate help!
I would like to know how the reporter first heard of the island. I am trying to get this tiny island launched into the media, I feel that this could be a great topic for the up coming USA presidential elections!
I can be contacted at princessdesis@aol.com
thanks for your time