The Sunday Times Picayune on September 21, 2008 had an excellent story about the small Native American community on Isle de Jean Charles in the southern part of Terrebonne Parish. The article was entitled, Tribal chief on Isle de Jean Charles says it’s time to leave and was written by Darran Simon.
After Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, the Chef of this Native American community is asking the residents to move inland to higher and safer ground. The residents are resisting the call, but have suffered great economic hardship from these and earlier hurricanes.
The Isle de Jean Charles was once four miles wide and had a population of 300-400. As the result of coastal land loss processes in Louisiana, the isle is now a quarter of a mile wide and only about 150-175 people still live on the isle.
This story shows the most immediate impact of coastal land loss in Louisiana on human lives. These are the sorts of communities that might have an action against the Corps of Engineers and the federal government for the loss of their land and the damages to their property.