population of 404 in the community. In 1943, the area was involved in a political skirmish between the infamous Leander Perez and Governor Sam Houston Jones, resulting in the 'Invasion of Point à la Hache'. In 1965 Hurricane Betsy damaged the area, flooding the courthouse. More than 50 people rode out the storm in the courthouse. All survived. During January 12, 2002 the parish courthouse was severely damaged by arson. Since then, the parish government has used several temporary buildings in Belle Chasse. The Plaquemines Parish Council has proposed to move the parish seat three times, but voters rejected the alternatives. Pointe à la Hache was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. On Mardi Gras Day 2011, the Mississippi River broke through its east bank about five miles below Pointe à la Hache. This breach has resulted in sediment-rich flow of the river into the wetlands, what coastal advocates have called a "cost-free" sediment diversion. Such sediment restoration in the wetlands is "a key strategy of the state's $50-billion Master Plan to reverse coastal land losses." By 2014 this breach had been named Mardi Gras Pass by the US Coast Guard. In July 2014 LADOT requested that the US Board on Geographic Names formally name the pass. It is the first distributary to have developed in the river's delta in decades and is considered important for natural rebuilding of the wetlands. Sundown Energy wanted to close the crevasse because it hampered the company's access to oil and gas wells, but alternatives are being negotiated. After the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, dead fish were found floating in the waterways even north of Pointe à la Hache. As of early 2012, only a small number of people have returned to live full-time in the parish seat. West Pointe à la Hache flooded again during Tropical Storm Isaac on August 28–29, 2012. Demographics As of 2020, the community had a population of 183. References Census-designated places in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana Parish seats in Louisiana Census-designated places in New Orleans metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in Louisiana Louisiana populated places on the Mississippi River Census-designated places in Louisiana Unincorporated communities in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana