LAPLACE, Louisiana — Troy Johnson was born and raised in Louisiana and never thought he’d ever consider leaving, but Hurricane Ida may have just changed his mind.
“I don’t know how much more I can take,” Johnson said.
Johnson lives in LaPlace, an area ravaged by Hurricane Ida. The destruction is so expansive it would be easier to count the homes not damaged. The right side of their home completely collapsed, and their roof and siding peeled off from the strong hurricane-force wind.
“That’s my son’s bedroom and that’s the master bedroom…and it’s gone,” Johnson said.
He and his wife bought the house 16 years ago. Ironically, right before Hurricane Katrina hit. For them, Hurricane Ida was much worse.
“It was like a train, like a train passing,” he said.
Troy and his 20-year-old son rode out the hurricane inside their car in the garage. They started in the family room, but everything started to collapse around them. They both made it out OK without injuries.
In trying times, we learn what we value. For Johnson, it was his son’s bible. He collected it from the exposed bedroom and put it in a safe place. Johnson is just thankful to be alive.
“This is not months [to recover], this is years,” a neighbor said of the destruction.
“We survived, we survived it. We could have been blown away with everything else,” Johnson said.
Though he does have insurance, building back his home could take a long while. He is considering a move from his home state. Hurricane Ida has taken people to their limit.
“This is the second time. I dunno [sic] if there is gonna be a third time,” he said.