DULAC, La. (WGNO) — Many communities are still trying to figure out where to start when it comes to post-Hurricane Ida recovery.
It’s been four months since the major hurricane made its impact, but those living in Dulac can’t escape the destruction.
“This is the worst,” said Dulac homeowner Kirby Verret. “I can assure you that with all the years we’ve seen hurricanes, this one really tore up more than we’d ever thought.”
Like many living in Dulac, Verret and his family live in a mobile home as repairs are made to their house.
“It is very difficult having family gatherings in an RV camper in the holidays,” said Verret. “We [can] hardly wait to be able to get back to some sort of normalcy.”
Although Verret’s home is currently uninhabitable, he’s mostly worried about his community.
Verret serves as pastor at Clanton Chapel United Methodist Church. He says since he became pastor in the late 80s, he and his congregation have nearly led the recovery efforts after each hurricane that passed through Dulac.
“We never thought we’d see our church with no steeple and our preschool not in operation this time of the year, which is so important to our young children,” said Verret.
Despite the many steps that must be taken to regain normalcy, Verret says it’s imperative not to lose hope.
“It’s important for us to keep letting people know that the hurricane was August 29th, 2021, but it’s going to be a long recovery because so many people have lost so much.”
The public can still assist in Ida’s aftermath, whether that be financial assistance or lending a helping hand.
The Bayou Community Foundation is among the nonprofit organizations that are still accepting donations. If you would like to donate, click here (https://www.bayoucf.org/disaster-recovery/).