Grand Isle Mayor on convincing people to evacuate for a hurricane
David Camardelle by Earl Robicheaux, 2009; 4700.2034
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Post-Katrina Grande Isle, 2005. NOAA.
TEMPESTS: Storms in the Archives
David Camardelle: We had five people here. I was more worried about them five people, because I gave them body bags before I left. I said, "I'm going to give you a body bag because this is serious." I gave them the keys to the city hall, and they saved their lives in here. But in the back of my mind is saying . . . I put my hand on the Bible and I told God that I was going to do the right thing. And, "God, don't let me lose a life." But one of the hardest things is to ask you to leave, as mayor, and you're telling me, "I'm not leaving." And I can't make you leave, even though it's mandatory. I made all kinds of deals with everybody I can. I had twenty-six of them and only . . . I got every . . . twenty-one of them out except for five. And they wanted to stay. So when you remembered that when you got word back, it was like back in Betsy, it was back Andrew, all the storms. "Oh, man, Grand Isle's wiped out." Now if you're sitting in North Louisiana, evacuated, you said, "Oh my God, we lost everything". I'll remind you, after Betsy, they raised up the houses eight feet. After Andrew, they went up twelve feet. After Katrina, it's an average of fifteen feet.