Tropical Storm Cindy made landfall early this morning in southwest Louisiana. But while the center of the ill-defined storm was hundreds of miles away, it still wreaked havoc on portions of South Louisiana. Louisiana Highway 1 was covered with water below Golden Meadow, and Grand Isle sustained a significant damage to its “burrito levee,” located on the western end of the island and consisting of a synthetic tube filled with sand and then covered with more sand to create a barrier. The levee protects a key beach for the town.
A 500-yard section of the levee has been ripped away, according to Fox 8 in New Orleans, and only half the structure remains standing.
“You can see where there was rock we’re good, but 1,400 feet is damaged and the tube is exposed,” says Mayor David Camardelle. “Not only that, but water backed up on about 40 city streets, causing damage to some businesses.”
Officials are somewhat stunned to see this much damage to the levee, especially so early in the hurricane season. Camardelle says he will need more rock, more sand and more money to bolster the levee to protect the vital western side of the island.
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