September 2008
Walton Dardar Jr. stands in front of his home in Isle Jean Charles that was lifted by the floodwaters of hurricanes Gustav and Ike, and grounded on a levee a few hundred feet from it’s foundations. Walton Jr. and his elderly father were left homeless and left the community to find housing elsewhere. The house was later demolished by the parish government along with a growing number of homes that have sustained major storm damage and been abandoned on the Island.

Isle Jean Charles is one of dozens along the coast threatened by massive coastal erosion. The Island is clinging to life after decades of severe erosion of coastal marshes that once provided a buffer against hurricanes and high tides. Only 70 or so residents remain, down from 300 at it’s peak.
Photo:Kael Alford/Panos Pictures