Grand Isle, Louisiana’s only inhabited barrier island, is a small island town that separates the Gulf of Mexico from Barataria Bay in Jefferson parish. Nestled in the heart of “Sportsman’s Paradise,” this quaint island town, sometimes affectionately referred to as the “Cajun Bahamas,” is a popular tourist destination that boasts beaches, world-class fishing, and abundant wildlife.

As part of the Barataria barrier island chain, Grand Isle serves as the state’s first line of defense against storms. The island has weathered many hurricanes, including significant damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and Gustav in 2008. However, its most devastating blow came in 2021 when Hurricane Ida made landfall as a Category 4 storm just a few miles west. The storm inflicted extensive damage to the island’s dunes, beaches, and 34 segmented breakwaters along its coastline.

In response, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Town of Grand Isle, and CPRA partnered to rebuild the shoreline with a focus on greater resilience for future weather events and long-term sustainability. The Grand Isle Dune and Beach Restoration project aims to restore four miles of dunes and beach on the island, elevating the dunes to 13.5 feet to restore storm protection and secure the island’s main access road.

Additionally, the eastern breakwaters and western jetty were reinforced with rock to restore them to their original design specifications. Beyond the beach and dune, breakwaters and jetty improvements, CPRA and the Grand Isle Independent Levee District are initiating the implementation of projects designed to provide hurricane protection and tidal flood risk reduction on the bay side of Grand Isle. This effort will reduce flood risk for the residents of Grand Isle through the implementation of levees, pump stations, floodwalls, and other protective measures. This project is intended to bolster the island’s resilience and ensure the well-being of its residents.