Not all of them die down when they reach land. Louisiana does have a natural system much like this called the barrier islands. Unfortunately, they have been badly eroded by violent storms, man's meddling and time. Dumping lots of sand down on Grand Isle isn't likely to help, either.
Yeah. Hurricane Hazel is a nice, if extreme, example of this. It made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Carolina, and managed to stay a category 1 storm up until it hit the Great Lakes!