Current Magazine

By 2050, 200 Million People Will Be
Displaced Because Of Climate Change.
their only choice will be to stay on the island and ride out
the storm. Once the storm arrives, the road out of the
island will be flooded.
“It takes a lot of prayer to live down here,” Theresa
Handon, Chris Brunet’s sister, said. “I think, ‘Please God,
no more storms,’ but I know it’s going to come.”
With every storm that hits the island comes a chance
that another home will be destroyed. Louisiana contains 40
percent of the nation’s wetlands, but each year an amount
of land larger than the size of Manhattan is sapped from
the state’s coastline. The water has now overtaken many
structures that were once a part of the community. Sea
level rise, shifting soils, and several hurricanes have led to
the abandonment and eventual demise of what once were
people’s homes.
“Climate change didn’t happen overnight, so we can’t fix
it overnight,” Comardelle said. “What we can do is make
the best of what we’ve been given and adapt.”
Many of the tribal members who remain on the island
despite the rising waters are those who can’t afford any other
option. Most of those who have left the island remain in the
tribe but are spread throughout Louisiana.
“The tribe has physically and culturally been torn apart
with the scattering of members,” the resettlement proposal
submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban
Development’s National Disaster Resilience Competition
states. “A new settlement offers an opportunity for the tribe to
rebuild their homes and secure their culture on safe ground.”
“We know we aren’t the only ones,” Comardelle says. “If we
can do this, not only for our people, but to be a beacon of hope
for other communities is important. This is not just about us.”
The resettlement proposal argues that Isle de Jean Charles
“is ideally positioned to develop and test resettlement adaptive
methodologies,” something that is badly needed around the
world. As such, the plan aims to move families to a historically
contextual and culturally appropriate community.
As hurricane season looms, the tribe hopes to be spared
long enough to have time for relocation; however, with
questions from the state about how to allocate the money,
the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw culture hangs in the balance.
“To stay here would have been my first choice, but common
sense tells me that if I don’t take advantage now and a
hurricane comes and destroys everything, then where will I
go?” said the Reverend Roch Naquin, a resident who grew up
on the island and was a trapper until going to seminary school.
“This is not just about resettling the community on the island,”
Comardelle said. “It’s reuniting the community that is left.”
Having already lost so much of their land and their tribal
heritage to the water, relocation is not just crucial for their
personal safety but also for the longevity of their culture
and traditions.
“At one time, water was our life and now it’s almost our
enemy because it is driving us out, but it still gives us life,”
Comardelle said. “It’s a double-edged sword. It’s our life and
our death.” Story and Photos by Carolyn Van Houten
An aerial image reveals Island Road, which
used to be surrounded by dry land but is now
nearly washed out.
34 CURRENT FALL 2017