Plaquemines Parish Port lies on the last leg of the Mississippi River as it enters the Gulf of Mexico in far south Louisiana. Plaquemines Parish surrounds the river's last 113 kilometers. The terrible hurricanes of 2005, Rita and Katrina, severely damaged the Plaquemines Parish Port, but restoration efforts are underway to restore and upgrade the levees to avoid future damage.Plaquemines Parish Port, Harbor and Terminal District, contains 12 anchorages stretching from 12-Mile Anchorage in the north to Pilottown in the south. Plaquemines Parish Port is the gateway to the Ports of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and to all of the Mississippi River Valley export corridor. Two of the country's biggest coal terminals are located at Plaquemines Parish Port: International Marine Terminals and TECO Bulk Terminal.

One of the worst natural disasters in United States history struck Louisiana on August 29, 2005. Hurricane Katrina struck and did severe damage to all of Southeast Louisiana. Martial law was not declared in Plaquemines, contrary to many media reports, as no such term exists in Louisiana state law [1]. No place escaped without some damage, while most of the rest of Plaquemines, Orleans and neighbouring St. Bernard Parish were severely hit; Pointe à la Hache, Port Sulphur, Buras-Triumph, Empire, Boothville-Venice, Phoenix, and Venice, Louisiana suffered tremendous damage. Amidst heavy rains accompanied by hurricane force winds in excess of 120 mph (190 km/h) at initial landfall (with a Category 3 storm surge), the levees failed and broke, and the storm surge that flowed in was more than 20 feet (6.1 m) high. Although a good majority of the populace did heed mandatory evacuation orders, some did not. At least three residents died.