SE: Hurricane Ida Edition
Last weekend, the area that my wife and I both grew up in was devastated by Hurricane Ida. For those that have not followed the storm, the entire Southeastern part of Louisiana was pounded by 100mph+ winds for 6-8 hours. If you are unsure of how hard that is, stick your head out the window driving 70mph on a freeway for 30 seconds.
There is a lot to say about the storm and a lot that has already been written. This week, I took some supplies down and went lend a hand in my hometown which took a direct hit from the eye of the storm. Here are some random observations and thoughts about that trip. This is a classic TL; DR; article.
You cannot appreciate the power of mother nature until you see it with your own eyes. Any video you see on the news or online will never do justice to what it is like on the ground. There are hundreds of personal stories I can share about it, but they would all sound hyperbolic - they are not.
You hear a lot these days about how selfish and “unamerican” people are, as they sit in their nice cozy home, working in pajamas, sipping on lattes, and ordering stupid crap from China on Amazon. This ire is in particular aimed at southern states. I encourage everyone who has this in their heads to take a ride down to southern Louisiana right now to see what true unselfishness is like. I’m not talking about silly arguments about vaccines and masks or playing footsie on Twitter and Facebook, I’m talking about strangers helping strangers find food, get water, share gas, and rebuild their homes. I’m talking about those same families in Texas, Alabama, and Missippi opening their homes, and their wallets, to evacuees. If being from the south is the modern version of wearing a scarlet letter, where do I sign up to get my badge?
For those who live in big cities, it is easy to shrug off these disasters and the extent of the recovery. Those near big cities are very spoiled with the number of resources available to them when it comes to recovery and they are also very spoiled to the level of infrastructure in place before a storm hits which eases recovery efforts. The country tends to forget about places like New Orleans, much less places where I grew up. But let’s not fool ourselves, small-town America is the backbone of this country.
The storm itself is actually the easy part, it’s the days and weeks after that are the true disaster. There are people I have known my entire life, with small children and elderly relatives, that will be out of power for 3-4 weeks, in one of the hottest, most humid parts of the country, in the absolute peak of summer. These same people have to also somehow tarp their roofs, repair their homes, drive two hours for gas, and stick around until insurance adjusters can show up (days and days later).
If you are a transplant, this may seem fairly easy, or just a test of self-sufficiency. In a lot of ways, it’s easy to deal with it yourself. However, when you personally have hundreds of close friends, neighbors, and business associates all needing help, this is emotionally draining on top of physically demanding. Watching people you have cared about your entire life struggle and not being able to help will hurt more than any muscle soreness.
Climate change is very, very real. We can all debate the impact that humans are having on it, but you cannot look at any statistic over the last 10 years and draw any other conclusion that the earth is warming up, very quickly, and that warming up is going to cause some serious issues. Even if we humans have very little to do with the change, we better be prepared to deal with its reality
You always hear local authorities tell you to stay away from disaster areas if you do not need to be there. It’s both nonsense and true at the same time. You have to go home to take care of your house and check in with your family and insurance requires you to mitigate damages or you may get denied. However, after being in an area filled with downed trees, powerlines, nails on the ground (flat tires), limited cell phone and emergency services, and shut down hospitals, you realize how vulnerable you are very quickly should something happen. Despite how much we like to puff our chest out, modern man is not as hardened as they would like to believe.
Millionaires will be made this week. In all the carnage lies opportunities to start businesses in construction, debris removal, and general help. From a business lens, there will be people who add an extra zero to their net worth this month. Contractors down-home are charging $3000 to tarp a roof, which is absurd, but also a sign of where we are with insurance and entrepreneurship.
I’ll leave with a few final thoughts.
I’ve seen on the news various articles questioning why people would rebuild in places along the coast knowing the possibility of disaster. Those people completely dismiss what the word HOME means to some people. My wife and I have lived in a different state now for 22 years but when I drive by that town, that is, and will always remain our home. Those are our people and there is not a hurricane that will change that. I made a deliberate choice to leave but if everyone did what I did, there would be no home to return to - and that would be sadder than any hurricane.
Every part of my life can be traced to that part of the country. In a 30 mile radius lies the place I met my wife, my childhood homes, my grandmothers, my inlaws, and the client who gave me my first chance at Gulf Coast. It’s where I got my weird accent, learned to peel crawfish, and understand what truly good food is. It’s also where I learned my work ethic, my humility, and while I smile at everyone I meet. It’s where I learned to love life, to love people, and to learn why it’s okay to have a party after a funeral. It is me and by extension, my children are me.
Lastly, hope trumps all. No matter how bad things, the soul and spirit of people ultimately will prevail, this is true all over the country but especially so in small-town USA. They are, by definition, fighters and survivors.
To everyone affected, my heart is with you. To everyone who is out there on the front lines helping, my soul is with you.