I’ve survived many hurricanes, including Katrina, but nothing compares to this.’ Houma residents are left reeling from Ida’s wrath after 120mph winds reduce homes, businesses and even a bowling alley to a pile of rubble
For the city of Houma, Louisiana, the devastation from Hurricane Ida is apocalyptic.
Located 60 miles southwest of New Orleans, the community has seen major storms before, but never has the suffering been so great.
A local bowling alley smashed to pieces, a supermarket almost blown apart, a clothing store destroyed, homes wrecked, business after business battered to the point of being unrecognizable.
Everywhere, there are scenes that look like they have been eerily staged for a disaster movie. But the damage is real, and now serving as a backdrop to residents’ survival stories.
Punishing winds of more than 120 mph for at least four hours – with gusts up to 150 mph – have left every home in the 100,000-population city damaged in some way.
Around one in 10 buildings have had their roof torn off or partially destroyed – and eight out of ten need some roof work, local fire chief Eddie Berthelot told DailyMail.com.
Incredibly, there has been no loss of life reported so far in the city. ‘And that is truly a miracle,’ added Berthelot.
The most bizarre spectacle is Bowl South in east Houma, formerly a 27,000 sq ft bowling alley complex with 24 lanes and a loyal local following.
Ida treated it with contempt. She blew in the windows, then blasted out the huge brick wall at the back of the building and ripped off the steel roof.
As dawn broke on Monday just hours after the hurricane continued her path north, the business’s surreal fate was revealed.
Through the smashed windows, bowling balls are still in place. Chairs and tables keel at crazy angles. Bowling shoes remain tucked under one of the counters. The bowling lanes are still there.
But the outer layer of the roof is completely missing and the second layer is half gone – which means the full force of Ida’s rains saturated the interior. Roof insulation covers the floor, creating a deep, sodden carpet with pools of water.
Pro-shop manager Larry Grabert, 40, stood amidst the devastation. ‘It’s insane,’ he said.
‘This place is like my second home, has been since the 1990s. It’s survived all the other storms, but had no answer for this one.’
He continued: ‘Somebody made a TikTok video as they passed here Sunday night, so I saw the whole inside and I could see part of the roof was missing.
‘I had to stew since 11:30 last night waiting for sun-up to come for me to see it for myself.
‘It was way worse than I was expecting. It is just devastating. I’d say the place is a total loss. It looks so weird. All the stuff is here, but soaking wet and blown apart. That back wall was brick, but it didn’t stand a chance.’
East Houma was battered harder than the rest of the city. Close to Bowl South, at the Caillou Plaza, the Save a Lot supermarket revealed a similarly bizarre spectacle.
The front was completely blown out, metal roofing was hanging down – and inside peppers, melons and other fresh produce were still on display, seemingly untouched by the ferocious winds.
Next door, clothing store Citi Trends provided the same scene, albeit with different goods. Outside, sheets of glass littered the sidewalk. Inside the ceiling had vanished, while piles of women’s tops, bras and other clothing somehow stayed in place.
Source:- Daily Mail
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