Photos, videos: Disappearing Isle de Jean Charles shrinks to one square mile, a dozen inhabitants
From the The Last Days of Isle de Jean Charles series
When Native Americans settled on Isle de Jean Charles in the early 1800s, it was less an island and more a ridge surrounded by marsh and coastal prairie.
By 1957, the island covered 35 square miles. Now, less than 1 square mile remains. It’s as if Manhattan had been whittled down to half of Central Park over a lifetime.
The island’s population, mostly French-speaking American Indians and their descendants, has fallen from 325 to just a dozen in 20 years.
Full story: The Last Days of Isle de Jean Charles: A Louisiana tribe’s struggle to escape the rising sea
See photos from Isle de Jean Charles today.
Ian Naquin and his childhood home
Ian Naquin, 29, sifts through the wreckage of his childhood home on Isle de Jean Charles on Saturday, September 4, 2021. "Found it!" he yelled, pulling out a treasured but sopping wet tiger he got at Disney World. Hurricane Ida destroyed almost all the remaining homes on the island in late August 2021. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Stars over Isle de Jean Charles
A canopy of stars and the sounds of nature are some of the reasons Isle de Jean Charles residents have resisted moving to higher, safer ground. But decades of land loss, flooding, and devastation from Hurricane Ida have convinced many to leave. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Voices from a Vanishing Island: Isle de Jean Charles residents discuss leaving the land they love
Residents of Isle de Jean Charles discuss leaving an imperiled stretch of the Louisiana coast.
Sunset over Isle de Jean Charles' broken homes
Some residents are resistant to admit that the last days of Isle de Jean Charles have arrived. But environmental devastation has taken a toll on the fragile landscape and the people of the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Chief Albert Naquin
Chief Albert Naquin sits in his back yard in Pointe-aux-Chenes on Monday, July 18, 2022. Naquin, who leads the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation, is bitter about how he and the tribe were treated by the state of Louisiana as it planned a resettlement of the Isle de Jean Charles community. He accused the state of "divide-and-conquer tactics" to get tribal members to "sign their land away." (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Dardar and his Social Club
Dominick Dardar shuffles around his partially rebuilt "Social Club Isle de Jean," Wednesday, January 5, 2021. Dominick and his brothers Edison and Levisse are refusing new homes that are part of a $48 million environmental crisis resettlement plan. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Cocoa and Brunet's trailer
Chris Brunet's dog, Cocoa, sniffs out a new arrival to a donated trailer they live in next to their hurricane-ravaged home on November 11, 2021. Brunet's message for passing motorists reads "Isle de Jean Charles is not dead. Climate change sucks." (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Betty and Alex
Theresa "Betty" Billiot enjoys a cozy fire and a hug from her grandson, Alex Sowers, at their home in Maine on Saturday, April 2, 2022. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Island Road
Island Road links Isle de Jean Charles to the mainland. Government threats to halt repairs to the roadway helped convince many residents to leave their homes on the island. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Betty in the kitchen in Maine
In the kitchen they share in a small coastal community in Maine, Theresa "Betty" Billiot (left) chats with her son-in-law Chad Sowers on Saturday, April 2, 2022. At the table, Billiot's daughter, Margaret Sowers (center) and grandsons Alex (left) and Ivan prepare lunch. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Father Roch sees his home
Isle de Jean Charles priest Father Roch Naquin is delighted with the new housing at New Isle as he and other future residents tour their nearly completed houses, Friday, January 28, 2021, (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Levis Dardar and the island cemetery
Only the cross of the island cemetery was left standing on Levis Dardar's home after Hurricane Ida's eye settled directly over Isle de Jean Charles, damaging many homes beyond repair, Friday, October 22, 2021. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Bad Little Falls
Theresa "Betty" Billiot's grandson Alex points out the wonders of Bad Little Falls in Machias, Maine, Sunday, April 3, 2022. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Baudean Billiot at the family home
Framed by a photograph of his parents Denecia and Wenceslaus Billiot, Baudean Billiot pauses in the doorway of the family home as he works to restore extensive Hurricane Ida wind and water damage, Wednesday, November 3, 2021. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
New Isle from above
The structures at the New Isle resettlement site and the meandering "bayou" begin to take shape in Schriever, Louisiana, Wednesday August 11, 2021 (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Levis Dardar and Ida's destruction
Hurricane Ida storm damaged many Isle de Jean Charles homes beyond repair and utterly destroyed many others, as Levis Dardar discovered when he returned home on October 22, 2021. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Dardar family portrait
Elizabeth Dardar holds a family photo that survived Hurricane Ida's destruction. She supports her husband Edison's decision to refuse a new home that is part of a $48 million environmental crisis resettlement plan for the sinking island. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
New Isle construction
After Hurricane Ida passed with little damage to the New Isle development, workers continue to build housing for the residents of Isle de Jean Charles, Friday, January 28, 2021. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Roof repair
Billiot family members begin the long process of cleanup after Hurricane Ida took the roof off the family home on Isle de Jean Charles, Saturday, September 4, 2021. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Bridge to a destroyed home
Hurricane Ida's eye settled directly over Isle de Jean Charles, damaged many homes beyond repair and utterly destroyed many others, as Dominick Dardar discovered when he returned home after the storm Friday, October 22, 2021. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Social Club
Sitting in all that remains of their beloved "Social Club," Dominick and Levis Dardar sip beer as the sun sets, Wednesday, Nov 3, 2021. Dominick and Levis and their brother Edison are refusing new homes that are part of a $48 million environmental crisis resettlement plan (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Edison Dardar
Edison Dardar struggled through the physical and mental agony of Covid-19, pneumonia and Hurricane Ida with resilience known to few men, even among his stalwart island family and friends, Thursday, October 14, 2021. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Edison's shelter
Now sleeping on a donated mattress under a plastic tarp, Isle de Jean Charles tribal council member Edison Dardar and his wife Elizabeth sit stunned among the debris of Hurricane Ida, Sunday, September 12, 2021. Edison is refusing a new home that is part of a $48 million environmental crisis resettlement plan. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Not for Sale sign
A "Not for Sale" sign at a bayou walkway Isle de Jean Charles warns speculators to stay away, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Maine beach
Theresa "Betty" Billiot (right) enjoys a stroll on a Maine beach with her daughter, Margaret Sowers, and her grandchildren Ivan and Alex. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Chris and Howard view New Isle
Isle de Jean Charles resident Chris Brunet, his niece Juliette and nephew Howard are not impressed when they arrive to view the New Isle property in Schriever, Louisiana, Wednesday, April 7, 2021. They had been told they would have a beautiful view of wetlands. But instead, they looked out on an artificial pond, a hulking Chevron maintenance facility, a radio tower and the rooftops of another subdivision. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Pat Forbes
Louisiana Office of Community Development Director Pat Forbes shows development renderings to members of the press at New Isle in Schriever on Saturday, March 20. 2021. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Isle de Jean Charles at sunset
As the sun sets on the locked levee gates, Edison Dardar heads home with a mess of shrimp, Thursday, June 24, 2021. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Betty Billiot in the rearview
Isle de Jean Charles resident Theresa "Betty" Billiot nervously drives onto the New Isle property in Schriever, Louisiana, Saturday March 20, 2021, to see the lot she as picked out for her house. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Juliette and Chris Brunet
Juliette Brunet pushes her uncle Chris Brunet through the chunky dirt at the New Isle resettlement site in Schriever, Louisiana, Wednesday, April 7, 2021. They had been told they would have a beautiful view of wetlands. But instead, they looked out on an artificial pond, a hulking Chevron maintenance facility, a radio tower and the rooftops of another subdivision. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Father Roch at New Isle
Isle de Jean Charles priest Father Roch Naquin performs a Catholic blessing on the property, Saturday March 20. 2021, where new houses will be built in Schriever, Louisiana, as part of a $48 million environmental crisis resettlement plan. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Betty Billiot on her porch
Isle de Jean Charles resident Theresa "Betty" Billiot ponders her future from the front porch of her recently deceased parents' home, Thursday, January 14, 2021. Betty is in line to receive a new home as part of a $48 million environmental crisis resettlement plan. Her parents, Denecia and Wenceslaus Billiot, knew that they'd never live long enough to see the new development come to pass. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Edison Dardar and his buffalo paintings
Edison Dardar, an Isle de Jean Charles resident and retired oyster harvester, spends most of his days at his workshop beneath his house, repairing fishing gear and working out, Wednesday, February 10, 2021. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Chris Brunet and Cocoa
Chris Brunet's faithful companion, Cocoa, leaps from a rickety wheelchair elevator on Friday, July 30, 2021. Brunet had his Isle de Jean Charles home raised after Hurricane Katrina. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Betty Billiot selects her lot
Isle de Jean Charles resident Theresa "Betty" Billiot looks over the preliminary layout of the New Isle development as she selects her lot for her new house at New Isle in Schriever, Louisiana, Thursday, January 14, 2021, part of a $48 million environmental crisis resettlement plan for the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Chris Brunet at home
Isle de Jean Charles resident Chris Brunet struggled to make his decision to move from his beloved home to the New Isle development as he sat amid his hollowed out home, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. Most of his furniture is hand-built from plywood and 2x4 lumber. Brunet and others are part of a $48 million environmental crisis resettlement plan. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Edison Dardar at home
Isle de Jean Charles resident, tribal council member and retired oyster harvester Edison Dardar stands on the back steps of his Isle de Jean Charles home, Wednesday, February 10, 2021, where he and his wife Elizabeth were rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter during Hurricane Barry in 2019. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Aerial of Isle de Jean Charles
Isle de Jean Charles – or what’s left of it – is a small enclave of houses on a narrow, one-and-and-a-half mile long strip of land. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)
Casting a net
As the sun nears the horizon, Isle de Jean Charles resident Edison Dardar spends most every evening during shrimp season casting a net near his home, Thursday, June 24, 2021. Edison is refusing a new home that is part of a $48 million environmental crisis resettlement plan for the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation, formerly known as the Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians. He says he was born on the island and will die on the island, just like his father before him. "I'd be a fool to leave this place," he said. (Photo by Ted Jackson, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Island residents
On Wednesday, November 5, 2008, Chief Albert Naquin rallied members of the Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians to pose for a portrait on the decaying edge of Island Road leading to Isle de Jean Charles. (Ted Jackson Photo/Ted Jackson)
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When Native Americans settled on Isle de Jean Charles in the early 1800s, it was less an isl…