Two Decades Post-Katrina, Alabama's Barrier Island Faces Existential Threat
Remembered as a horrific event that affected over a million lives, Hurricane Katrina remains a dark memory for people across the Gulf Coast. The storm claimed nearly 1,400 lives, with the majority in New Orleans, and even two decades later, some communities are still battling to recover.
The hurricane, the most expensive in U.S. history with damage costs exceeding $201 billion, caused extensive flooding across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
Dauphin Island: A Casualty of Katrina
Dauphin Island, Alabama, was severely affected by the storm. The island's west end beach was split, leaving a 1.5-mile-wide gap. Over 300 homes were destroyed, and for many, the land beneath them was permanently washed away.
Since that fateful day, Dauphin Island has faced continuous erosion and movement due to subsequent storms and rising sea levels. The island is now confronting a severe existential crisis.
The Struggle of the Locals
Mayor Jeff Collier, who never envisioned such intense weather disturbances, shared that some islanders are still paying property taxes on plots that are now submerged. "The area where most of those underwater lots are located probably consists of about 50 lots on this stretch of the island," he revealed.
Some residents' homes are now precariously positioned, their supports now well into the Gulf waters. Despite this, the homes remain habitable, with some being rented out for the summer. However, Collier predicts it's just a matter of time before another storm causes further destruction.
Restoration Efforts
Over the past 20 years, the town has managed to rebuild some of its white sand beaches. In the previous year, the town successfully used settlement money from an oil spill incident for a beach erosion project, which pushed back the Gulf waters by approximately 350 to 400 feet on the island's east end.
However, on a barrier island like Dauphin, constant maintenance is vital. Frequent visitor Jillian Fairbanks has witnessed the erosion over time. "Just about a year later, I can already tell that the sand has eroded, I'd say 30 meters or so at least," she said.
Despite the challenges, Fairbanks' parents, who have lived on the island for 13 years, continue to advocate for beach restoration projects.
The Road Ahead
Preserving what's left of Dauphin Island will require millions of dollars from various grant sources, and securing this funding is the most significant challenge, according to Collier.
The mayor is planning to use more settlement money from the oil spill incident for another restoration project for the island's west end, which will cost an estimated $60 million. He is still seeking additional funding sources to make this project feasible.
He's also using an Environmental Protection Agency grant to upgrade the town's stormwater runoff systems to help mitigate street flooding during storms. By April, the town had already spent more than $420,000 on the $1.2 million project.
Recognizing the need for continuous maintenance and oversight, Collier sought help from a special federal program. He hoped that a grant for a $250,000 project would enable the town to hire an engineering and design firm to create a specialized disaster mitigation plan.
Despite the struggle, Collier remains hopeful. "If we can't get the funding elsewhere, we just have to deal with it ourselves," he said. "So, one way or the other, we're going to get our plan in place."
For Dauphin Island, time is of the essence. Even without a major hurricane, the beach is expected to continue eroding. Asked what keeps him up at night, Collier said, "just the fact that we know additional hurricanes will eventually hit this area ... knowing that there's a clock ticking, that we only have a certain length of time in order to make differences and changes on the island before the next one hits."