Bayou Corne and Grand Bayou
Bayou Corne was settled by residents hoping to take full advantage of the sportsman's paradise aspect of Louisiana living. A company, Texas Brine, mined a large cavern across the road and under the community in a salt dome to extract the salt brine. Since the cavern was too close to the salt dome edge, the edge of the salt dome collapsed and a 27+ acre sinkhole formed at the surface. The disruption of the earth also caused large quantities of natural gas to migrate to the surface and be released over a wide area, including Bayou Corne. The threat of natural gas entering the homes in Bayou Corne and continued settling of the partially collapsed dome resulted in a multi-year evacuation of the town and a drawn-out buyout process for most residents. The small community of Grand Bayou just down the road was displaced several years prior due to a similar threat from gas seeping up through the ground and collecting in homes. Some residents of Grand Bayou had relocated to Bayou Corne only to be displaced again.
