As the anniversary of Hurricane Ida is approaching, it was humbling to go back and read the Facebook posts I made on my personal page to update the world about what was really going on through my perspective.
Storm aftermath update #1:
Sunday 8/29/21
The eye passed over our house/area today as a Cat 4 for several hours, and we endured the eye wall. According to our neighbors, our large carport is gone, trees everywhere, power lines down with trees on top, and God knows what else. We won’t know if we have roof leaks until we get there. We lost all contact with our neighbors after 5 pm. We’re obviously not the only ones, and I’m seeing a lot of extensive damage widespread in our area. It was definitely catastrophic.
Schools are closed until further notice. We have no running water and of course no electricity for an unknown time frame.
Ernie will be trying to get home asap, but we’re not sure how that will go, if and when he can get in, even with a special pass.
Our area needs lots of prayers, and I know we’re in the midst of good friends and family that will be helping each other out. We’ve dodged bad storms for many years, and we’ve always been the ones to extend our helping hands. Now it’s our turn to accept the help and face this devastation. My stomach has been in knots all day as I know that many will return to nothing, and we have no idea what’s ahead.
God is still good, He sees us through, things happen, our hearts break and He restores us, many times better than we were before
Aftermath Update #2:
Monday 8/30/21
I spoke with Ernie on the SAT phone which was still horrible service and hard to hear. Our two conversations only lasted a few minutes at most with him repeating himself bc I couldn’t hear. In addition to the side awning being gone, our house has roof damage, holes that caused our kitchen ceiling to fall down in some places with water damage, along with our front porch also damaged from above somewhere.
Mavis’s house is perfectly fine .
It’s going to be a long road for many of us, but we’re already SO THANKFUL for those who have already reached out and we feel the love There are donations being made from all over and I’m sure will be making their way to our area very soon. Any and all help is appreciated.
We are here for EACH OTHER and even though it’s sickening right now, we will all be okay!
Aftermath Update #3:
Tuesday 8/31/21
Ernie was able to call from the roof, and we just found out our house is way worse than the last post I made about it. Our entire kitchen is flooded from rainwater and it stormed again last night. There’s punctures all over our roof. Ernie was there by himself putting up tarp at 3 am. So many people need help from preventing further damage to their home and mold.
All day we’re finding out about other homes of people we know. Some have minor damage, many are significant, and many don’t have a home left at all.
Ernie was able to check on a friend and her family yesterday that lives right around the corner from us, and we were able to bring closure to everyone that they’re okay. They were in a rough situation during the storm and everyone was worried sick. There is limited to no communication.
During “Round 1” of the storm before communication was lost, as the eye passed through and it was calm for a little while, our neighbor texted us “It looks like a bomb went off.”
Guys, this is exactly what it looks like.
He was scared his house was going to crumble… and then “Round 2” came with winds from another direction. Then all comms were lost.
Please understand that a Cat 4 hurricane went through our bayou towns and tore it up for about 8 hours remaining a Cat 4 the entire time. Not just the outer bands… the Eye and eye wall. The center. The most catastrophic and strongest winds. It kept its strength so long because of the marsh. *And actually, we all believe it was a Cat 5, but they just won’t claim it.
Ida didn’t just knock on the door.
She was a terrorist.
There is no normal workday on Monday. There is no school tomorrow or God only knows when. Just about every school in our parish is damaged pretty badly, some worse than others. Anything anyone had planned is now out the window. Plans changed – we have an entire bayou region to rebuild.
I’d say that I’m a very positive person, and usually so optimistic to the point that it irritates Ernie sometimes…
but guys, please understand that I’m just being real with you – It’s bad bad.
However, it’s in times like these when we forget everything else to make sure everyone is “okay.”
We’re so used to being the first ones to donate and give a hand, and now the tables are turned. I plan to head down there soon with supplies from TX, and I know many others are doing the same. But there’s soooo many. We’ll need more gas cans and gas, lots of water, more food to sustain, and possibly a window unit.
Insurance claims have been made. Just like many others, we’ve never done this before, so idk how long all that takes or what this entails exactly. And I’m sure there’s a gap of time where more supplies and food are needed. I know people will be coming to help, it’s just what we do for each other. If you can come for just a few hours, it’s something. I’m hoping there will be food stations set up soon to help people out.
I know we’ll all be okay, but man this is tough.
I’ll find out later that everyone who did not evacuate lost connection with their loved ones until they saw them in person again. This would be at least 24-48 hours later for most, and 3 or more days for the rest.
Ernie, his mom, and I were all sitting in a restaurant in the little antique town of Tomball, TX as the storm was passing through and I began to cry before eating my hamburger. Ernie was choked up when the last thing he heard from my neighbor was “I feel like the house is going to crumble.” At that moment before comms were lost, I had already seen that my kids’ elementary school back buildings were destroyed, and it has only just begun. I knew things were about to drastically change.
This picture was taken after a month of cleanup. When Ernie first arrived at the house, the yard was sloppy wet and he could not pull through the driveway. Our entire 2 acres of yard was covered inch by inch in large tree limbs, branches, and everything else known to man. You can tell how bare and broken the oak tree looks. It’s usually full this time of year.
Sloppy Joes