First Responders

First Responders in Louisiana Prepare for Hurricane Ida

August 29, 2021Carl Prine
Hurricane Ida preparation

Packing maximum sustained winds of at least 150 mph, Hurricane Ida will slam into Louisiana on Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021. Satellite photo from the National Weather Service.

Firefighter Amanda Thibodeaux looked out the window of the Little Caillou Fire Department in Chauvin, Louisiana, shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, and saw drizzle trickling down the glass, the first tears of Hurricane Ida as the devastating storm nosed ashore.


“We’re staging equipment right now and we’re praying we’re going to be here when it’s over,” said Thibodeaux, who is part of a skeleton crew of 15 firefighters who volunteered to hunker down and wait out the worst tropical cyclone to wallop Louisiana in 52 years, since Hurricane Camille.


Squeezed between Madison Bay and Lake Boudreaux, in the direct path of the hurricane, most of Chauvin’s residents have fled. Emergency planners evacuated most of the department’s mix of volunteer and career firefighters. They left Thibodeaux and her crew there, knowing it’s harder to fight through floods and downed power lines to reach town after a disaster strikes.


US Coast Guard Station New Orleans crews relocate response boats to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, ahead of Hurricane Ida. The Coast Guard does this to protect crews and equipment from the worst of the storm so they can return later to help local communities. US Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Liz Uitdenhowen.

“A lot of people don’t realize what it’s like,” said Thibodeaux. “We’re not here with our loved ones. We not only are going to worry about what’s going on to protect our community but also about our own houses, and family and pets.


“It’s like seeing something very bad coming. And you can’t get out of its way.”


Hurricane Ida is going to be very, very bad.


Fueled by warm Gulf of Mexico waters, Ida’s winds will tear into Thibodeaux’s town at 154 miles per hour — one mile short of a Category 5 cyclone — according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.


Federal forecasters predict an initial storm surge of at least 9 feet along the shores of Louisiana and Mississippi, collapsing levees in Ida’s wake and triggering widespread flooding. 


Hurricane Ida is a powerful tropical cyclone approaching Category 5 status. National Hurricane Center photo.

New Orleans — about 70 miles northeast of Chauvin — faces what the National Hurricane Center calls “catastrophic” winds, 16 years after the devastating cyclone Katrina destroyed large portions of the city. 


Planners warn residents as far north as Tennessee and the Ohio Valley to expect power outages caused by the gale-force winds and lashing rain. That’s why three US Coast Guard shallow-water rescue boats stand ready in Memphis, more than 430 miles north of Chauvin.


“As we prepare for Hurricane Ida, we are urging people in the area to remain vigilant,” said US Coast Guard Cmdr. Scott Williams in an email to Coffee or Die Magazine. “Our ability to conduct rescues can be diminished or non-existent at the height of a storm, but we have our crews staged and ready to respond to emergencies immediately after the hurricane passes.”


In charge of the Coast Guard’s Ida regional response teams, Williams said he’s pre-positioned four MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopters and six shallow-water boats in Louisiana.


Hurricane Ida
US Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans preps for Hurricane Ida in New Orleans, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. Photo by US Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Ryan Dickinson.

A dozen helicopter air crews, plus three HC-144A Ocean Sentry medium-range surveillance planes, also are prepped to fly from Texas and Alabama to aid the rescue and recovery efforts.


Citing past Category 4 and 5 hurricanes, utility giant Entergy warned Louisiana customers on Sunday that some areas might be without power for more than three weeks. Although Entergy said more than 7,000 workers are ready to help restore service, the company anticipates “mobilizing a storm team of at least 16,000” to help.


Hurricane Ida isn’t the only disaster ravaging Louisiana. The storm makes landfall in a state already reeling from some of the highest COVID-19 infection rates nationwide. Over the past week, Louisiana recorded 29,881 new COVID-19 cases and 441 deaths from the disease.


To keep Louisiana hospitals from being overwhelmed, on Aug. 2 Gov. John Bel Edwards reinstated a statewide mask mandate to combat what he called the “fourth surge” of the virus.


 Coffee or Die will continue to report on this story as Hurricane Ida moves inland.


Read Next: US Coast Guard Spearheads Haiti Earthquake Relief



Carl Prine
Carl Prine

Carl Prine is a former senior editor at Coffee or Die Magazine. He has worked at Navy Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He served in the Marine Corps and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His awards include the Joseph Galloway Award for Distinguished Reporting on the military, a first prize from Investigative Reporters & Editors, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
Bazooka
How the Bazooka Gained Infamy as a Tank-Buster

Named after a musical instrument, the Bazooka proved to be a highly effective weapon for American troops, including one maverick pilot, throughout multiple wars.

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall (center) delivers testimony during a House Appropriations Committee hearing in the Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.
Home to Glenn, Armstrong, Wrights Perfect Spot for Space Command HQ, Ohio Lawmakers Say

Ohio lawmakers pitch their state as the new location for Space Command headquarters.

soflete
Soflete: How This Veteran-Led Company is Changing Military Fitness Culture

In 2014, Soflete’s co-founders saw workout overkill hurting their peers as they prepared for selecti...

glock 19
Glock 19: Origin Story of a Legendary Pistol

Get to know the Glock 19 — how it works, who uses it, and why it’s one of the most popular handguns in the US.

afghan soldier asylum
Afghan Soldier Who Helped US Weathers Injuries, Uncertainty in Asylum Bid

Afghan soldier who assisted the U.S. now faces uncertainty in bid for asylum.

The Dirty Dozen
‘The Dirty Dozen’: Meet D-Day’s Real Rogue Commandos

The Dirty Dozen was based on a real team of rule-breaking elite paratroopers who jumped into France ahead of D-Day.

d-day 79th anniversary
Normandy Marks D-Day's 79th Anniversary, Honors World War II Veterans

This year's D-Day tribute to the young soldiers who died in Normandy is not only a chance to honor t...

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
  • Request a Correction
  • Write for Us
  • General Inquiries
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved