Grand Isle made a big announcement yesterday -- its beaches are back open.

This is a nice step forward for the town rocked by Hurricane Ida nearly seven months ago, leaving its residents without power for 138 days.

Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle said it took a lot of hard work from members of the community to open up the beaches.

“A major part of our recovery is making sure that our residents, camp owners and visitors can safely access the beach. We welcome all to come down to enjoy our beach and support our local businesses,” said Camardelle.

As a reminder, when Hurricane Ida struck the island in August 2021, the storm surge destroyed nearly one-fourth of the town's 2,800 buildings. Power and other basic utilities were cut-off to the town's residents and businesses for months.

The town posted a reminder to beach-goers that no glass or vehicles are allowed on the beach. However, golf carts and UTVs are and those along with pedestrians can access the beach at the following crossovers (from west to east):

  • Boudreaux Lane
  • Cranberry Lane
  • Apple Lane (pedestrian only)
  • Krantz Lane
  • Capital Lane
  • Chighizola Lane
  • Coulon Rigaud Lane
  • Post Lane
  • Landry Lane
  • Oak street Lane
  • Cypress Lane
  • Birch Lane

All of the above beach crossovers are marked by signage on Highway 1 and on the beach.

UTV and golf cart owners wishing to drive on the island need to purchase tags from the Grand Isle Police Department located at 1301 LA Highway 1.

For more information about the island, visit townofgrandisle.com

Startling Images of Hurricane Ida Aftermath

Hurricane Ida was one of the most powerful, longest-lasting major hurricanes to hit the Louisiana coastline in recorded history. Due to the storm surge, Ida basically fed itself warm, moist air and maintained its major hurricane status for nearly half a day. This allowed the storm to cause catastrophic damage across a longer stretch and much further inland than other storms. Here are just some of the many images of how powerful the storm was.

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