Jean Lafitte was a French pirate and privateer who was active in the Gulf of Mexico region from the early 19th century, and who is rumored to have buried treasure and gold in many locations, including sites along coastal Louisiana. Hurricane Nicole unearths possible Native American burial ground. But with parts of Louisiana still unreachable, the full extent of the wreckage remained unclear. Though Lafitte's home is gone, this property across the street from the Port of Galveston contains the ruins of a later structure and a trove of ghost tales. Coastal areas have been particularly badly hit, including the small towns of Jean Lafitte, Barataria, and lower Lafitte. Barataria Bay - Wikipedia The booty of gold and silver bullion amounted to 11,509,524 . Aerial Photos Show Louisiana's Coast Before And After Hurricane Ida - NPR Many homes and businesses have also been devastated and boats capsized. Hurricane Ida lingered over southern Louisiana for most of 29 August, bringing rainfall and floods before moving north and east into Mississippi and Alabama the following day. Aerial image of LaPlace, La. You're in the sheriff's office, but you're getting reports and deputies. Residents surveying the damage to their home in Houma, La. IE 11 is not supported. It's dirty. Never again, Ms. Joseph said. Poking at the can was the first step in uncovering a buried treasure of rare coins estimated to be worth $10 million. But I don't think this is going to be a good situation when it's all over. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the public school system of New Orleans was one of the lowest-performing districts in the state of Louisiana. JavaScript is disabled. In coastal areas, particularly in Jefferson Parish, which includes the small towns of Jean Lafitte, Barataria, and lower Lafitte, floodwaters have taken over entire roads, bridges, and neighborhoods. Hurricanes, cold fronts are great," Martinez said. "And looking in the river here, you know, when it starts to go down, that's when I need to come out and do my digging.". Anyone can read what you share. In 1825 somebody had a large stash of coins buried under an oak tree just outside of the city of New Orleans. Jean Lafitte Mayor Tim Kerner said the town suffered "catastrophic" flooding Sunday following Hurricane Ida. Parts of Louisiana and Mississippi have been left devastated by Hurricane Ida, which flooded communities, knocked out power lines and littered roads with debris. Shane Mears and Susanna French looking for treasure along the Mississippi River with a metal detector. Homes in the town of Laplace, to the west of New Orleans, were also flooded. Satellite image 2021 Maxar Technologies Trees and power lines were also brought down. Energy companies say they are working to restore power, but residents are being warned it could take weeks in some areas. This is one 1806 real from the hoard featuring King Charles IV with a Certificate of Authenticity. Also, Dateline shows how you may be able to find that forgotten treasure on your own. New Orleans went from having a public school system to having a school system . He started with the company as a kid , fresh from the battlefields of Vietnam. The concentration is still on search and rescue in Lafitte, Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said Tuesday. Satellite image 2021 Maxar Technologies Tree limbs and debris clogged the streets from the Bywater neighborhood to Uptown. After gathering strength over the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana and Mississippi on August 29, 2005, eventually carving a path up the East Coast. Digging in the toilets," Mears said. I know people must be in a panic. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell), "I do it for the thrills and the booty," Mears quipped. Undiscovered treasure in Mississippi - NBC News Shane Mears searching for historic relics in a privy, an old-fashioned term for an outhouse or what is now known as a restroom. I'm speechless.". Treasure hunters discover artifacts unearthed by Hurricane Nicole Treasure hunters seize an opportunity to get an. You know, the sheriff brought up a good point with me. 2023 BBC. Her 13-year-old son, Cesar, showed videos he had shared with friends on Snapchat of the wind and water descending on the familys home. How rising sea levels threaten the lives of Louisiana's coastal - PBS Tropical storms, hurricanes and flooded rivers can be incredibly destructive, but they also help uncover memories from the past. What do you do? The two-bedroom trailer was wrecked, with only the air-conditioner intact among piles of mangled furniture, kitchen supplies and personal belongings. I know I'm gonna get there as soon as I can. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Storm-hit New Orleans under curfew amid blackout, In pictures: Hurricane Ida lashes Gulf Coast, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. When the river levels drop, Mears and his exploration buddy, Susanna French, load up and head out with shovels, a probe and a metal detector. You know, people say, I'm a worrier, I do worry. Residents told of hours of harsh winds and rising water as the storm blew through. In LaPlace, in St. John the Baptist Parish, along the east of the Mississippi River, homes and businesses were torn from their foundations and left without roofs. The state treasurer says the storm motivated him to start digging through the files to help people. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell). Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The Gulf Coast from Mississippi to Louisiana was left in shambles. One of the men was found living in east Texas where he had bought a farm. 90% Silver! I try to prepare for the worst and pray for the best. You know, right now, people are in the middle of this emergency and there's really not no answer for it. It also has references to other lost treasure spots in Texas. This was like my first coin ever," she said. Jean Lafitte: Mystery of the Unfound Treasure - Pelican State of Mind Sounds like the Hendricks lake treasure. the hardy fishing village of Jean Lafitte. "We've suffered flooding before,. http://www.texasescapes.com/DEPARTMENTS/Letters/LettersToEditorDecember2001.htm. after Hurricane Ida hit. 1417 Harborside Drive. MR: I'm hearing that they feel like theyre trapped and they understand that nobody can get there, but they are in panic mode and they've got a good right to be. One estimate suggested 90% of homes had suffered serious damage. Jean Lafitte, a one-time resident of Louisiana and privateer, is believed by some to have buried a large cache of treasure somewhere in the bayous of Louisiana. SC: It's pretty eerie, and I've heard this from a lot of residents here, that this is happening on the 16th anniversary of Katrina SC: Is this worse, given what you're hearing? You never think its going to be you until it is.. Its something Dateline has shared with you before, a wonderful little secret called unclaimed property. It could be an old paycheck, a stock note, or inheritance thats owed to you. The parish had received more than 200 calls for rescue since Sunday. Marcel Rodriguez: I'm hearing that it's not good. New Orleans itself had been bruised but not beaten. Today, hes a millionaire. The town is about 20 miles south of New Orleans. The Treasure Map of Jean Lafitte Edit Main Page Trivia Quotes Gallery The Snake Bracelet of Cleopatra The Lost Love Letter of Captain John Smith The Star of Sultan Saladin The Treasure of Anne Bonny The Keys to the Alhambra Lawrence of Arabia's Headdress The Mussel Shell Armor of Apanuugpak Ponce de Len and the Lost Fountain of Youth hide caption. hide caption. What does it do any good for me to sit back there and drown or not make myself available? Hurricane Veterans Were Stunned by Ida: Its Never Been as Bad, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/30/us/hurricane-ida-lafitte-houma.html. Tate Reeves, Mississippi state treasurer: We have for you 3,4 99 shares of Wachovia bank stock.Gordon White: How many shares?Reeves:So this particular amount of stock is worth over $200,000White: That will make me happy (laughter). In the French Quarter, the streets seemed to have been washed almost clean. But the truth is, the winds wasn't like this. Treasure hunter Christian Roper is searching for Jean Lafitte's buried treasure that could be worth over 50 million dollars today - he meets with Rick and Ma. The roof of Lady of the Sea Hospital in the town was blown off in Ida's winds. I'm in contact with Joe Valiante and Tim and them up in EOC. What is the latest news? This is a storm from the left side of Lafitte. And I would imagine every one of them's caught back there right now, and I really don't know. As of Tuesday, rescues were still being made with Louisiana's National Guard reporting that personnel have rescued 359 citizens and 55 pets either by high-water vehicles, by boats or by air during the aftermath from Hurricane Ida. Citizens must also conserve water and remember the area remains under a boil water advisory. Not a bad location to camp, near the river. Jimmy Sparks, a short time ago, wasa veteran on disability. The local police chief said at least 400 people had chosen not to leave ahead of the storm - and dozens needed rescuing from attics and rooftops. I hope that you can help me out. MR: Just pray, you know. Accuweather National Reporter Bill Wadell didn't mind getting dirty to take viewers along a journey with a history buff in New Orleans who searches for Louisiana's forgotten past. Richard Fausset reported from Jefferson Parish, La., Rick Rojas from LaPlace, La., and Patricia Mazzei from Miami. Satellite images taken by Maxar on Tuesday shows just how extensive damage is over the Gulf Coast and southern Louisiana. But the water has stabilized. For the residents that stayed, Leorwald called it a personal decision, noting that some people couldnt afford to leave. Aerial image of Jean Lafitte, La. But if its there, you can find it on your own. This story was told to me several years ago by a man in his 80 s Back in 1940 or 41 two men hired to clean up around what is said to be Lafittes red house disapeared after a few days. The Mystery of Jean Lafitte's Grave | by John J. Dunphy - Medium And I think, I never seen the list, but I think they got over 400 that stayed. Some stories to tell about other folks who now, more than ever, need to find a little lost money. Keep in mind, most states dont have the staff come out and find you. He's got hunting for long-lost coins, jewels and artifacts from Spanish shipwrecks down to a science. Just pick a state you or any member of your family has ever worked in or played in, type in the name, and within seconds you can find out if this is your lucky dayand it is all absolutely free. "We find buttons. After Hurricane Ida, Lafitte residents left stranded on rooftops - NOLA Our residents have gone through this their whole lives and they didn't think that this would happen.. The bay takes its name from the Spanish novel Don Quixote, in which the . And, you know, I'm 70 years old. John Bel Edwards said no major levees failed during Ida, thanks to a $14 billion hurricane risk-reduction system that was built in the greater New Orleans area following Katrina in 2005. Jordan Roque pulled his Chevy pickup truck onto the last stretch of highway outside of town that was not inundated by water on Monday, hauling an airboat. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Are any of those resources available for these people? Long-lost pirate ship may lie in Texas lake / Historical treasure could The hurricane passed through the area, flattening trees and ripping apart smaller buildings. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies . As New Orleans residents deal with a parish-wide power outage, small communities just outside the city and its levee protection system are being pummeled by Hurricane Ida, with hundreds of people asking for help but unable to be reached due to catastrophic flooding from several feet of stormwater. They have good knowledge of what theyre doing, he said. In them, his 11-year-old brother, Juan, kept calling out, Hold the door, hold the door, terrified of the storms bluster. Satellite images taken by Maxar on Tuesday show extensive damage along the Gulf Coast and southern Louisiana following the fifth strongest storm to ever hit the US mainland. The . Hurricane Katrina remains one of the worst hurricanes in U.S. history. Coins & Currency It didnt slack up at all, he said. We can have a thousand people, we can have ten thousand, they'll be doing the same thing I'm doing waiting until its over to go see what's going on. LaPlace, La., saw many homes mangled and streets flooded by Ida. "I had never found a silver coin. Fast moving floodwaters during the hurricane had many residents fleeing to attics and roofs in their home. And they got some older folks back after that, I spoke back in. I'm a descendant of his first mate and so while as a general rule I love history/archeology/treasure hunting, naturally this is the treasure that interests me the most. hide caption. Severe weather can also toss items from cargo ships, wash valuables away during a tsunami or unearth precious metals during a hurricane. David Sanford, who has lived in the neighborhood for eight years, considered himself something of a hurricane veteran, having lived on the Florida coast, in Pensacola, before moving to Louisiana. I'm thinking tomorrow morning, I don't know if I'm going to be there at four o'clock in the morning, at three o'clock in the morning, I just don't know. Jean Lafitte Police Chief Details Catastrophic Flooding From Hurricane According to one account, published in 1885, The Historical Guide to New Orleans, Jean Lafitte died of sickness on the island of Mugeres, off the Yucatan, in 1826. Read about our approach to external linking. And looking it up, it's so rare. Aerial image of Jean Lafitte, La. Galliano, on the Gulf Coast, has also been badly affected. His dads bank eventually turned the money over to the state. It was a book on the treasures of Galveston and the surrounding area. Hurricane Katrina | Deaths, Damage, & Facts | Britannica When the storm came in, he was in the process of building his dream home. There were reports that its roof had blown off. I mean you look at that, it's so accurate," Mears said, referring to AccuWeather MinuteCast, which is a forecast offering that highlights the exact start and end times as well as the intensity of precipitation for precise locations over the next four hours. Items Shane Mears has found along the Mississippi River with a metal detector. Its part of living in this community. Oak Island the Strange, the Bizarre, and Maybe the "Truth! For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Reporting on health care, criminal justice, the economy and other important issues in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. About 90% of homes in the small town have "serious damage.