Hurricane Ida and Exiled on Beach Street

Direct Hit

Hurricane Ida devastated my homeland. The eye passed over the town of my birth (Houma) and my hometown of Lockport. Where we live now was in the bad quadrant for the entire storm. The apartment complex that I lived in for most of the aughts had significant fires.

Good thing we evacuated because I think Ida was looking for me.

We evacuated to the in-laws in Panama City Beach. With Hurricane Michael still fresh in their minds, the people here have been amazing. They explain how they dealt with insurance, how they kept their wits, and just showed us love.

Doing What We Can for Our Little One

Because we were without power and potable water for so long, we tried to make life here slightly normal for our three-year-old. We found a PreK that would take her and a dance studio that let her go to classes there.

Plus, there is so much fun stuff to do for a three-year-old. Our girl’s favorite place so far was the ¨everything a dollar¨ tourist shop. She racked up.

Of course, it was stressful for her. She misses her “big girl school” friends. She missed me terribly when I would go back home to clean and access the damage. Plus, we couldn’t face time, the cell signal wasn’t strong enough for it, so it was the longest time she had gone without seeing me.

Luckily, she was around family the entire time. While Ida was horrible, we have to look at some of the positives. Our little one got to spend a month with her great-grandparents. That time spent together is invaluable.

We tried to do normal little things such as going to the zoo and playgrounds. We were steered to a dance studio by ours back home that allowed our baby to dance and be with other kids.

Panama City and Panama City Beach will always have a special place in our hearts.

The Hard Part: After the Storm

While we had a lot of damage but compared to the neighborhood, it could have been worse. No one we know escaped any damage from this storm.

Even those that had minimal damage had to deal with the lack of power and potable water. In Louisiana, during September, this is extremely dangerous.

Most books on hurricanes are written about the storm themselves. The Great Deluge is a fantastic book. I knew what happened in New Orleans, but it explained how things went down in the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

I haven’t read Andy Horowitz’s Katrina: A History, 1915-2015, but it is on the list. The reason is that the aftermath of a storm is what needs coverage. This period is when the inequities in the system become apparent. The storm itself is powerful but only lasts a couple of hours. The after the storm clean-up can take years.

Hurricane Laura occurred roughly a year before Ida, and there are still tarps in the Lake Charles region. Hurricane Michael took place in 2018, and while the area is mainly rebuilt, there is still some work to do.

Work: Yet Another Way to Teach

After two years of Covid influenced teaching, sure the 2021-2022 school year would be normal, right? Ok, Ida will just close school for a while but we will be back soon, right?

Well, our school received major damage. In fact, it’s still not open. We are currently platooning with the other high school in our district. Teachers for both schools go every day, but our school’s students go one day while our host school goes on the next.

Well, this should be easy since we had a hybrid schedule last year, right? Well, for a long time internet and power were not very stable. So, we had to go in the complete opposite direction and plan for non-online work. I teach computer science, so this was extremely difficult.

We finally, in December, feel like we are getting our footing. Of course, when we return, we will have to get used to doing school normally…again.

Why Stay After Hurricane Ida?

This leads to reporters asking the inevitable question: why do you still live there?

Well, before I answer that question, we need to face one significant fact.

Ida killed almost as many people in New Jersey and New York than it did in Louisiana. A number of those in Louisiana were post-storm.

Reread it. Click this link to the source if you don’t believe me.

We need to pretend that named storms only affect the area of landing. Climate change has changed that. The question is myopic and outdated.

Why live in NYC if the Long Island Expressway is shut down from a storm that landed in Louisiana?

While that question seems ridiculous, in light of the evidence, it’s just as absurd to ask the people of Louisiana why we live here?

I’m still going to answer that question, though.

Well, first of all, for those of us that can trace our ancestry, we trace it to here. Even though the US and Louisiana government have done their best to try and assimilate us into a WASP culture, they haven’t been 100% successful. We still use Cajun French phrases and do a lot of things the way our ancestors did. Our French Catholic, African, Native American, and Caribbean history make us unique. We need to hold onto that and honor it.

Secondly, the area provides. I’ve taught a kid whose family only went to the store to get things they couldn’t produce themselves. Foodwise, they only grocery shopped for milk and bread. If we respect the land here, the land will provide.

Third, few places in America aren’t affected by devastating weather. And honestly, those are the areas where no one lives.

And most importantly, the food. Sorry America, but our food is the best. As one person from Florida told me, he had no data to back it up, but south Louisiana has the best cooks per capita of any area in the country. He is right.

So yes, we will rebuild, just as the people do in tornado areas, just like those affected by wildfires.

Home is home.