6 drownings in 6 weeks at Grand Isle

Christopher Boudreaux, 43, of Galliano, La., died June 10 saving his 6-year-old godson who had been swept away by an undertow at Elmer Island beach in Grand Isle, La. He was the sixth person to drown in the coastal community in just over six weeks, according to Police Chief Laine Landry. Boudreaux managed to get to the boy and hand him off, but was pulled under by the current. His body was recovered 45 minutes and about 500 feet from the spot he was last seen, the chief said. Officials temporarily closed a stretch of beach that was the site of four of the drownings. Town officials are pondering whether to make the closure permanent, Landry continued. The police chief believes larger crowds have returned after the COVID-19 moratorium, and suspects abnormal tides and man-made structures may be intensifying the dangerous currents. The first was April 26, when Marvin Funes Contillano of Metairie drowned while fishing from a sandbar. There are 20 official public beach access points on the seven-mile island. Grand Isle officials used plastic fencing and concrete barricades, with the words “beach closed,” to prevent visitors from accessing specific beaches. Beach-goers ripped down the fencing within a day, Landry said. Officials had not made a decision to permanently block access to that western beach as of June 11. But larger crowds, higher tides, rougher seas and more dangerous currents could make for a deadlier summer, officials worry. "Please wear coast guard-approved life vests. Even the strongest swimmers can be pulled under," Landry said. (Source: NOLA.com 06/12/20) https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_476ee896-ac14-11ea-9ddb-e3a59f9f0892.html