On Tuesday, a parish leader of Louisiana stated the wrath of Hurricane Ida left Grande Isla “uninhabitable.” The homes in the barrier island were left 100% damaged, with almost 40% of them totally destroyed.
100% of the houses in Grande Isle were damaged with 40% of the homes totally destroyed
Cynthia Leee Sheng, Parish president of Grande Isle, told reporters on Tuesday that the search and rescue mission going to the Jefferson parish area was able to travel by boat. However, the Gulf of Mexico side of Grande Isle left 100% of the houses, as well as other structures, damaged.
Almost 40% of the house are nearly or totally destroyed. Sheng added the island was also left covered with around three feet of sand.
INSIDE THE STORM: A man documented the life-threatening conditions brought by Hurricane Ida as he rode the storm out on a barge in Grande Isle, Louisiana on Sunday. https://t.co/powZYHA0HK pic.twitter.com/rdXs5OfOf5
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 30, 2021
Scooter Resweber Police Chief of Grande Isle noted that he and other police officers waited for the hurricane to pass inside the police station in the town. He said he had all officers transfer into the building to seek safety and then things started to break loose.
Resweber stated that roofs started to fall apart; they could even see pieces of buildings flying across the street. He added that it was a scene that you do not want to see ever again.
The police chief also remarked that even the structure of the police station was threatened. He said when the roof of the police station began to come apart and the structure trembled, they all got scared. The chief explained that although they were grown men, you could still have fear, no matter what profession you are in; at that time, they felt fear.
Grande Isle Police Chief: Hurricane Ida is the most severe Hurricane
Resweber also called Ida the most severe hurricane he ever experienced. The chief said he has experienced other strong hurricanes (like Hurricane Katrina, Isaac, Ike, Gustav), but Hurricane Ida is the worst. He was likewise amazed that despite the intensity of the hurricane, no one in the community was killed, nor seriously injured.
Intense winds in Grande Isle, LA #Hurricane_Ida pic.twitter.com/WADXgWL6SV
— TaKeTheReDPiLL (@TaKeDaT_RedPiLL) August 29, 2021
On the other side of the Jefferson Parish, there lies the town of Lafitte, which is located along the Gulf Coast in the area of New Orleans. Lafitte likewise experienced the fury of the Hurricane.
Sheng said that in Lafitte, multiple homes were flooded with water, but the teams were able to retrieve 15 people. The parish president advised people who evacuated the area not to return yet, given the severity of the damage the town experienced.
She said the current situation on the island is not a condition that people should be living in.
Rob Krieger from Fox 8 New Orleans traveled to Grande Isle and posted a video, showing the widespread destruction that the town suffered. Krieger wrote that at present, there are no services on the island. The cell services are down, as well as power and water supply.
