Salt water intrusion killed many of the Live Oak trees that once inhabitated the island.
The two towns (coastal islands almost) are Pointe aux Chenes and Isle de Jean Charles and are quite close to the Gulf of Mexico. Coastal erosion is putting them closer every day.
Isle de Jean Charles is a very small inlet that is home to the Nation of the Houma Indians. They have occupied the land for over 200 years and have asked for nothing from the government except a levee to protect them from the Gulf of Mexico. Most of them make their living fishing and trapping.
Many of them are very old. The hurricanes in September totally deleted many of their homes and the rest of them are just disasters. The federal government has yet to put its foot on the inlet with help. Yet, today they bailed out huge corporations and Wall Street.