On Sunday, Aug. 29, Hurricane Ida hit the Gulf of Mexico as one of the most powerful storms ever to reach the states. Ida was a category four storm, hitting the same date Hurricane Katrina swept Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years ago. Ida’s 150 mph winds tied it for the fifth strongest hurricane to reach the U.S. The hurricane’s winds grew by 45 mph in five hours as the hurricane moved through warm waters.
Freshman Kentara Lair, born in Alexandria, Louisiana, said she experienced a tropical storm in the past and has family in Louisiana affected by Hurricane Ida. Lair said one of her relatives was not prepared for the storm’s impact and has had to rely on relief teams since the storm’s aftermath.
“She wasn’t given enough time to go get water, so the Army is gonna bring her supplies and possibly move her to a safer place,” Lair said.
New Orleans experienced the most damage. However, a town just south of New Orleans is the home of two students and was left devastated. Houma, Louisiana, experienced winds stronger than 115 mph. Freshman Peyton Breaux calls Houma his home.
Breaux said his home church has started a relief team, and he hopes to support them.
“My family evacuated to Alabama, but they have to stay there for, like, a month because they have to rebuild everything,” Breaux said.
Talking about his past with Hurricane Katrina, he explained how different the two storms were.
“With [Ida], there were 170 mph winds, so it literally just blew things away,” Breaux said. “It ripped roofs off of schools.”
Freshman Bre Wade has family in Louisiana and has plans to visit and support them.
“I’ve seen on the news how bad it is down there, and I want to make sure my family is OK,” Wade said.“I wanna make sure they are all safe and able to still have a home where they can have shelter.”
