Hurricane Ida's Strong Winds Flipping an 18-Wheeler Trailer

Occurred on August 29, 2021 / Larose, Louisiana, USA

Info from Licensor: On the morning of August 29, my wife and I woke up to the somber news that Ida would make landfall directly over our hometown of Larose, LA with sustained winds of 150 mph. While we drank coffee on the porch of our home and watched the bayou water begin to flow faster, the sky was ominous but peaceful. We knew what was approaching off of our coast, but no one could prepare for the hell that our region would experience hours later.

One hour before the hurricane made landfall, my wife and family left our raised home for fear that the wind would blow our home off of the foundation with us in it. So, we “evacuated” two doors down to my in-law’s home, which was more secure due to the fact that it is on a cement slab.

While the outer bands of the hurricane began to affect us, I sat out on the porch drinking beer, a pastime many Cajuns take up when hurricanes approach. As the hours passed and conditions continued to deteriorate, we watched as our roof, and the roofs of two family members blew off. Shortly after, our travel trailer exploded, sending its contents into powerlines and trees.

During the height of Ida’s eyewall on top of us, I witnessed a 40-foot tractor-trailer begin rolling from a cow pasture near our home. This trailer, weighing thousands of pounds and which usually holds hay for horses and cattle, rolled like a feather and crashed into another home. The winds that you see on this video lasted for eight to nine hours, consistently. Most structures did not escape without severe damage and or complete structural failure.

After this video was shot, nearly at midnight, the winds subsided and we began to take account of what had happened. Our home, which we evacuated only hours prior, was destroyed. Power would not be restored for 25 long, hot, and humid days. Women and children are living in tents and makeshift structures.

Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes and the coastal communities that we hail from will forever be altered by Ida's destruction.