Hurricane Ida swept though St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, and Vista Farm on August 29, 2021. The eye passed just east of Hammond, LA, putting us on the east side where no one wants to be. Sustained winds were around 100mph with at least one gust reaching 111mph. The devastation is everywhere, but not even close to that experienced on the coast. My house in Madisonville had about a foot of water inside. It is now gutted two feet up the wall and awaiting a visit by my flood insurance inspector. Remediation is complete and the black mold is gone. I am living in a tiny travel trailer in the backyard.

Vista Farm is a mess. There are downed trees everywhere–two lay across the long driveway. Most of the wildflowers that were blooming in August are just bare stems. Only the hardy Narrowleaf Sunflowers seem to have survived and are coming into bloom to cheer us up. All the partridge peas are gone and with them most of the bees and other pollinators. Oddly, there are quite a few butterflies, more than I would have expected. The Muscovys survived and there are even two new ones in the small flock that lives at the pond.

Cleanup is daunting. Even deciding where to start is overwhelming now that the driveway is open. Here are some photos of the forest and wetland. We can’t even get into the wetland until trees are cleared and there is a month or so of dry weather.