Holly Beach, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Holly Beach also known as the "Cajun
Riviera
" , is a coastal community in unincorporated
Cameron Parish
, Louisiana
, United States
.
Known for crabbing and a drive on the beach, this small Southwest Louisiana community mainly consisted of beach-front cabins called "camps" which, due to the threat of hurricanes, were "built-to-be-rebuilt" by its residents. It is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan area
, which has a population of 194,138.
completely leveled the small beach town. Almost nothing was left but ruins and the water tower. This was the second time Holly Beach was devastated by a hurricane; in 1957 Hurricane Audrey
smashed ashore with a 12 foot storm surge
.
A year after the devastation of Hurricane Rita, Holly Beach was slowly coming back to life, with some residents living in mobile homes set up on-site. Many former residents believe the government officials are implementing such stringent building codes that it's now nearly impossible to rebuild. Many of these dwellings are parked under canopy
type structures for shade. The new telephone poles are set up carrying electricity, but are lined up ominously in the familiar rows, revealing the numerous empty lots. The current residents must sign a waiver which allows them to dwell there, despite the lack of a functioning sewer system which is a concern to the state’s department of health.
It became common to see portable toilet
s on the community’s road sides, which are well maintained for the few locals and visitors alike. For new structures in Cameron Parish, the new building codes apply. In nearby Cameron
, according to the parish officials, the coastal buildings built before the late 1980s that had less than fifty percent damage may retain the same pre-Rita elevation
. It was estimated that some twenty-percent of these structures met the criteria and wouldn’t have to have an elevation increase. But just how stringent the new building codes in Cameron and the surrounding parish will be enforced will be determined by surveyors using Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) flood maps.
It was feared that these strict building codes, along with the high insurance costs, would keep many of the original locals from returning and rebuilding, and that the southern part of the parish would end up with temporary trailer type housing indefinitely. Within Holly Beach, there are several permanent structures being built, with pier elevations complying with building codes. These structures are a testament to those determined residents who will not give up their beachfront living to any force of nature, or any other opposition that is put between them and their "Cajun Riviera".
In September 2008, Hurricane Gustav
and Hurricane Ike
reflooded the area.
Population prior to Rita: Approximately 300
and 12 miles east of Johnson Bayou.
song "(Holly Beach) Under the Boardwalk" by Kenny Tibbs (Kenny Thibodeaux) and The Jokers, released on Jin Records
. In a close parody of the 1960s hit "Under the Boardwalk
" by The Drifters
, the lyrics explain that cajun vacationers "ain't got no boardwalk, just got seeweed, but we always pass a real good time at Holly Beach."
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
" , is a coastal community in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Cameron Parish
Cameron Parish, Louisiana
Cameron Parish is the parish with the most land area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Cameron and as of 2010, the population was 6,839...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Known for crabbing and a drive on the beach, this small Southwest Louisiana community mainly consisted of beach-front cabins called "camps" which, due to the threat of hurricanes, were "built-to-be-rebuilt" by its residents. It is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan area
Lake Charles metropolitan area
The Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Acadiana region of southwest Louisiana that covers two parishes - Calcasieu and Cameron. According to a 2009 Census estimate, the MSA had a population of 194,138. It is also part of the larger Lake Charles-Jennings...
, which has a population of 194,138.
History
In September 2005 Hurricane RitaHurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
completely leveled the small beach town. Almost nothing was left but ruins and the water tower. This was the second time Holly Beach was devastated by a hurricane; in 1957 Hurricane Audrey
Hurricane Audrey
Hurricane Audrey was the first major hurricane of the 1957 Atlantic hurricane season. Audrey was the only storm to reach Category 4 status in June. A powerful hurricane, Audrey caused catastrophic damage across eastern Texas and western Louisiana. It then affected the South Central United States as...
smashed ashore with a 12 foot storm surge
Storm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...
.
Canopy (building)
A canopy is an overhead roof or else a structure over which a fabric or metal covering is attached, able to provide shade or shelter. A canopy can also be a tent, generally without a floor....
type structures for shade. The new telephone poles are set up carrying electricity, but are lined up ominously in the familiar rows, revealing the numerous empty lots. The current residents must sign a waiver which allows them to dwell there, despite the lack of a functioning sewer system which is a concern to the state’s department of health.
It became common to see portable toilet
Portable toilet
Portable toilet are simple portable enclosures containing a chemical toilet which are typically used as a temporary toilet for construction sites and large gatherings and events. Most of the portable toilets have black open-front-U-shaped toilet seat with cover...
s on the community’s road sides, which are well maintained for the few locals and visitors alike. For new structures in Cameron Parish, the new building codes apply. In nearby Cameron
Cameron, Louisiana
Cameron is a census-designated place in and the parish seat of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,965 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, according to the parish officials, the coastal buildings built before the late 1980s that had less than fifty percent damage may retain the same pre-Rita elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
. It was estimated that some twenty-percent of these structures met the criteria and wouldn’t have to have an elevation increase. But just how stringent the new building codes in Cameron and the surrounding parish will be enforced will be determined by surveyors using Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) flood maps.
It was feared that these strict building codes, along with the high insurance costs, would keep many of the original locals from returning and rebuilding, and that the southern part of the parish would end up with temporary trailer type housing indefinitely. Within Holly Beach, there are several permanent structures being built, with pier elevations complying with building codes. These structures are a testament to those determined residents who will not give up their beachfront living to any force of nature, or any other opposition that is put between them and their "Cajun Riviera".
In September 2008, Hurricane Gustav
Hurricane Gustav
The name Gustav has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean:* 1984's Tropical Storm Gustav - Spent most of its existence as a tropical depression hovering over Bermuda, no major damage was reported....
and Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
reflooded the area.
Population prior to Rita: Approximately 300
Geography
It is located 10 miles west of CameronCameron, Louisiana
Cameron is a census-designated place in and the parish seat of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,965 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and 12 miles east of Johnson Bayou.
Culture
In 1991, the town was immortalized as the subject of the nostalgic and humorous Swamp PopSwamp pop
Swamp rock is a musical genre indigenous to the Acadiana region of south Louisiana and an adjoining section of southeast Texas. Created in the 1950s and early 1960s by teenaged Cajuns and black Creoles, it combines New Orleans-style rhythm and blues, country and western, and traditional French...
song "(Holly Beach) Under the Boardwalk" by Kenny Tibbs (Kenny Thibodeaux) and The Jokers, released on Jin Records
Jin Records
Jin Records is a Ville Platte, Louisiana-based swamp pop record label, although some Cajun recordings have also been issued on the label. It was started by Floyd Soileau in 1958....
. In a close parody of the 1960s hit "Under the Boardwalk
Under the Boardwalk
"Under the Boardwalk" is a hit pop song written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick and recorded by The Drifters in 1964.-Premise:The lyric describes a tryst between a man and his beloved in a seaside town, who plan to privately meet "out of the sun" and out of sight from everyone else under a...
" by The Drifters
The Drifters
The Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...
, the lyrics explain that cajun vacationers "ain't got no boardwalk, just got seeweed, but we always pass a real good time at Holly Beach."