Grand Isle mayor assessing damage

On Grand Isle, Mayor David Camardelle spent Thursday morning touring the island, assessing damage and making plans to get residents back home after the mandatory evacuation called as Isaac headed into the Gulf.

Camardelle says some of his efforts are hampered by a downed cell phone tower, which complicates communications.

He says the entire island was covered with water during the storm. On Thursday, he was finding lots of debris and roof damage and he was overseeing the use of heavy equipment to repair damaged levees. The top priority, he says, is to get the public water system and other utilities working.

Isaac was a financial blow for Grand Isle because it hit just before the Labor Day weekend, usually a busy time for the tourist-dependent community.