Backdown boat launch operational; bait shed, store being rebuilt
In the wake of Isaac’s destruction, clean-up and repair is under way all along our coastal areas. Shell Beach was surprised by much higher water levels than anyone expected, and all ground level structures took a beating from both wind and water.
Campo’s Marina, a fixture in lower St. Bernard Parish, was no exception.
The big, blue, metal structure they constructed post Katrina to house their bait tanks and business table was badly battered and knocked off its foundation, and left teetering toward the bayou. The back end of a concrete bait tank was knocked out, and everything was covered in several feet of marsh muck and grass.
“It’s bad,” Robert Campo said. “But it could’ve been worse. It’s going to take a lot of work and money, but we’ll put it all back together again — and we’ll do it better than before.”
The Campos decided to demolish the metal structure rather than try to repair it, and a big concrete slab with exposed bait tanks is all that presently remains.
“We’re knocked down temporarily, but not knocked out,” Frank Campo Jr. said. “We’re busy all day every day putting it back together. The backdowns are clear and open, so you can launch and go fishing now. But we don’t have live bait or fuel, yet. But we hope to have it soon.
“The good thing is we didn’t lose our gas and diesel tanks, and we moved our pumps up the road so they didn’t flood. Once we get some electricity, which we should have by the end of this week, we’ll be able to sell gas.”
Robert Campo said they were replacing the lumber and tin roofs over their bait tanks on the dock.
“The tin all blew off, and our bait cages were all beat up, but we’re busy fixing that right now and by the end of today or tomorrow we’ll have that together,” he said this weekend. “We’ll operate temporarily under the shed on the dock like we did after Katrina. Once the power is back on we’ll be able to aerate our bait baskets, and we’ll have live bait.
“Our goal is to be operational by the end of the week or early next week, and to have bait available by the end of September or sooner if possible. Getting back up and running is our first order of business, and then we’ll rebuild the big metal building. This time, with metal I-beams. You can’t get completely hurricane proof down here, but we’ll try to rebuild as hurricane-proof as possible. Because, inevitably, there will be a next time.”
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