GRAND ISLE, La. – The beaches of Grand Isle are normally bustling on Memorial Day weekend, but this year the area resembled more of a ghost town.
The massive oil spill and the “Beach Closed” signs have scared off most who would have traditionally come to the Louisiana shores.
Varenia Johnson of Shreveport was one of the only people to set foot on the beach Monday.
“It’s scarce in every direction,” she observed as the camera caught images of an almost empty beach. “I think it’s keeping people from coming because they think when they get out here that there’s going to be oil and it’s going to get everywhere.”
Fishing, one of the big lures of Grand Isle, has been shut down in almost every favorite spot.
Instead of sunbathers, towels, picnic baskets and fishing lines, Grand Isle is full of orange and yellow colored boom. The empty beaches mean a lack of business for the resort area.
“We’ve been here several times with hurricanes, but nothing this severe,” said restaurant owner Sarah Rigaud. “We can’t get our local seafood, like we were getting and a lot of people, that’s what they come here for. We have to go out of town to buy our seafood and they’re just not too happy with that.”
Some of Rigaud’s regular customers are also feeling the pinch like charter boat captain Jay Ausve.
“I wouldn’t be sitting here (if things were normal),” he said. “This is the peak of our season. We’d go out and catch trout and redfish and by 10:30 or 11 o’clock, we’re on our way back home. They’d probably be cleaning fish and taking pictures. It’s frustrating.”
Most of the beaches were empty, despite a beautiful day. Only a few cleanup workers were spotted. For residents and out-of-towners alike, it’s a painful sight.
“We had lunch in a local place,” said Mary Rowe of New Orleans. “We’ve stopped and talked to as many vendors as we can. I think there’s a feeling of foreboding. The thing I’m surprised by is that there’s not more signs of urgency here.”
