Katrina Could Have Also Played Havoc with Gulf Coast Barrier Islands

Hurricane Katrina swamped barrier islands along the Gulf Coast, further gnawing away at the dunes and beaches that act as hurricane speed bumps and leaving the coastal area even more vulnerable to big storms. Among the hardest-hit were the fragile Chandeleur Islands off the southeast coast of Louisiana.

Known as a nesting ground for pelicans and rest stop for migrating songbirds, the string of islands was made famous by a visit from Theodore Roosevelt and from the naturalist paintings of Walter Anderson.

Even before Katrina, these islands in Breton Sound was under stress. The storm inundated them, leaving only a small section visible during flyovers in recent days. It has been difficult to get a complete picture of damage to all the barrier islands, including Mississippi´s, because boat and air traffic has been restricted by search and rescue efforts.

Barrier islands, which are made up of sand drifts, naturally shift with currents over time. But there has been a gradual loss of the islands over the past century, especially along the Louisiana coast. A hundred years ago many of the islands were twice the size they are today and even were home to villages and plantations.

The islands help block big waves and storm surge. "Katrina would have been much worse if the islands hadn´t been there," said Klaus Meyer-Arendt, a University of West Florida coastal expert who has done extensive studies of the gulf´s barrier islands.

In Mississippi, the series of islands off the coast from Biloxi -- Ship Island, Horn Island, Petit Bois -- were also scoured and breached by the extraordinary storm surge.

There were signs that Louisiana´s barrier islands farther to the west were not devastated as feared. Those islands -Grand Terre and Grand Isle in particular- have had major restoration efforts.