August 29, 2021 Watching Hurricane Ida as My Son Rides the Storm in Grand Isle
Déjà vu
As I am watching weather updates about Hurricane Ida, I am reflecting on Hurricane Katrina that hit the coast 16 years ago today. Katrina pushed a nearly 20 ft. wall of water onto our shores here on the Alabama Gulf Coast. My house on Bayou Jonas was just one of many thousands that were flooded across the breadth of the gulf coast from Louisiana to Alabama. As I write this, a hurricane warning remains in effect from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to the mouth of the Pearl River and includes Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and New Orleans. Hurricane Ida has reached winds speeds of 150 and may increase slightly before landfall making it a category 5 hurricane. One small good piece of news is that the storm surge appears to be less than that of Katrina. The hours and days ahead will tell the story of the storm’s impact, but as I write this, my thoughts and prayers are with all who live and work in the path of this storm.
Waiting and Watching
My oldest son is a crew boat captain, and he is on a vessel in Grand Isle, so my prayers are especially with him and those with him.
UPDATE: Hours after the storm passed, a storm chaser posted this video of Grand Isle where my son is onboard a vessel. I have heard from my son, all onboard are safe and weathered the storm without major incident.
