Measuring the Year After Ida
“Five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes…” This verse from one of my favorite Broadway musicals has been on my mind all morning as I consider that’s how long it has been since Hurricane Ida made landfall and completely changed the landscape of our beloved Bayou Country. So, today, as we mark the one-year anniversary, I ponder the question, “How do you measure a year?”
It’s been one year since residents of Terrebonne Parish made last minute preparations to either evacuate to safer ground or to brace for the inevitable storm that was directly heading their way. It’s been one year since we watched in disbelief as Ida made landfall and left a path of immeasurable destruction across our community, the likes of which our generation has ever witnessed.
It’s been one year since we proved to the nation what ultimate resiliency and Southern hospitality look like. Despite having incredibly little media coverage and government resources, the folks here quite literally took the shirts off their backs, tarped strangers’ roofs, selflessly offered their homes and boats, prepared and served meals, shared generators and air conditioning and so much more to shelter, feed and support those in our community.
And here we are, one year later.
It took one year of blood, sweat, tears and a momentous commitment to making our home recognizable again to get to where we are today. Although there is still work to be done, we are Houma proud through and through and are excited about the strides we’ve made thus far in restoring our community.
One year later, we are elated to see local businesses like our movie theatre reopen, with movie goers visiting in droves to see their favorite new releases here in town. The local arts theatre plans to open its doors and shine its lights on center stage again this Fall and several restaurant partners are bringing back live Cajun music to their establishments for all ages to enjoy.
One year later, we are ecstatic to welcome back locals and visitors from all over the world to get a taste of what makes our community so special, and if you’re asking me – there is no where more special than this place we call home!
So, as I reflect on the anxiety-induced, heartbreaking and grueling aftermath we faced following a direct hit from a record-breaking hurricane, I’d say down here in Louisiana’s Bayou Country, we measure a year in the life we build in the swamps of the South, the neighbors-turned-family relationships and the unyielding love and commitment we devote to the community we inhabit.
Picture by WAFB
Picture by Houma Today
Picture by WWL-TV
Picture by WTOP
