Dauphin Island back in business

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. (WALA) - The east end of the town of Dauphin Island is back up and running for Labor Day weekend after Hurricane Isaac battered the barrier island with sand, wind and rain.

Businesses have reopened, the ferry carried passengers across to the island and the public beach welcomed Labor Day tourists to enjoy one last weekend of summer fun.

 “It was beautiful outside. We’re taking advantage of the good weather and we came down here to celebrate Labor Day. There are a ton of people out on the beach,” said Tori Blackmon.

The West end of the island was completely cut off after the storm because of sand accumulation of up to four feet in some places, Mayor Jeff Collier told FOX10 on Thursday. Sunday, police continued to stop people from entering if they did not live there or weren't renting a property there.

Isaac made landfall late Tuesday and continued to plague the area with rain in the following days. The storm didn't land directly over the area, but had wide-ranging effects from Louisiana to Florida.

RELATED: Crews working on Dauphin Island

By Wednesday, most of the island's residents’ electricity had been restored but some homes are still without power Sunday.

Collier estimates it will take a few months until things return to normal, but he says a lot of progress has been made.

“We’re far ahead of any expectations I’ve had. This has probably been the swiftest recovery I’ve seen as far as getting the road open,” Collier said. “We still have a lot of work to do. We still have to get all this sand piled up, cleaned and back to the beach front.”