HOUMA, La. — People in Houma are working towards what some call the hardest part of the storm: the aftermath.
Sherri Clark and her husband decided to ride out the storm in their home and are now cleaning up the debris in their backyard left behind by Hurricane Ida. She tells KATC the moments before the storm were stressful.
“It started to really get bad,” said Clark. “The trees were, those big, tall pine trees were, it seemed like they were folding over, almost touching the ground.”
She describes the storm as “amazing” and something she does not wish on anyone.
“I was just like ‘Oh my God,’ every time I walked away or went to another window I was like ‘Oh my God, there it went,'” she remembers. “It was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced in my life; I really hope I don’t have to go through this ever again.”
As amazing as she describes it to be, however, she does share how scary it was.
“A lot of anxiety...I don’t know if it was the pressure from the storm, it felt like somebody was sitting on my chest,” she said.
Some of the most intense damage we saw out in Houma include a bowling alley, Bowl South, completely destroyed. The owner spoke to KATC and says she’s still in shock. She’s owned the place for 46 years and has never seen anything like it.
Another business in the area, which appeared to be a hair salon, lost a wall and was left fully exposed. Styling chairs and hair products were still in place.
Another business closer to the historic downtown area in Houma also lost a wall, and from what our reporters could see it was an office. But what’s left now is a pile of bricks, debris, and a pile of blueprints inside the exposed structure.
A taller building in the same area lost some windows on the higher floors. This caused a lot of shattered glass on roads nearby.
A lot of power lines were down and were so low to the street that our crews out there had to turn around several times.
------------------------------------------------------------
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
To reach the newsroom or report a typo/correction, click HERE.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers
