Around Ascension for Sept 8, 2021 | Ascension | theadvocate.com – The Advocate

Hurricane memories

I've lived on the same piece of property most of my life. Hurricanes are nothing new to me and my family. For more than seven generations, my ancestors have been through many storms on our Ascension Parish homestead.

But just one sparked long discussions most of my life: Hurricane Betsy. I was 7 when Betsy blew through. Betsy began as a tropical depression Aug. 27 north of French Guiana and moved northwesterly before looping north of the Bahamas. It hit south Florida on Sept. 8 and turned its winds to the Louisiana coast, hitting Grand Isle on Sept. 10 as what we now would call a Category 4 hurricane. Once inland, Betsy was slow to weaken and persisted for two more days before degenerating into an extratropical storm.

My dad and grandpa boarded up all the windows, and grandma started cooking as we prepared to ride out the storm in my grandparents' home. She had a gas stove and a freezer filled with beef and pork, all raised on our property. They picked whatever we had in the garden. Grandma, a devout Catholic, prayed the rosary every hour in French. We had puzzles, crayons, coloring books and board games to keep the young folks busy.

This was before the internet or 24-hour news stations. We gathered around the black and white TV to get the latest track and used a paper tracking chart to follow the storm's path. Betsy was headed our way.

It blew through like a locomotive, loud and determined. The house started to shake, and it was so loud I couldn't hear my sister scream. The house we were in had a tin roof, and we worried the roof would get peeled off. After a while, the noise lessened and my dad and grandpa suited up in rain gear and ventured out. My grandpa's 3-car carport and shed were ripped from the house, and pieces were strewn as far as they could see. They survived the damage and quickly ran back in the house as more bad weather struck.

We were in the eye of the hurricane. The house shook, the wind howled and I was terrified. I went over to my grandma for comfort, and she was on her knees praying in French. My grandpa shook his head and warned me not to disturb her when she was praying, especially when she was reciting prayers in French.

My grandmother was raised by her uncle, who was a Catholic priest. His native language was French; he immigrated from France as a priest. So, grandma spoke mostly in French. I remember a lot of French being spoken that night. It's the language my parents used when they didn't want us to know what they were saying.

My sister and I kept close. I peeked through a tiny space between two boards covering a window. It was night, and we couldn't really see much, but I did see the barn blow up and a cow fly. My sister didn't believe my cow story and doesn't to this day. But I'm sure I saw the cow elevate as the barn burst into thousands of pieces and fly toward the house. That's when I started to cry.

After the storm, we eventually returned to our home and did homework by candlelight. We were without power for a long, long time.

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As a teen living in Denham Springs, we did evacuate for a storm in the 1970s but I don't remember the name. We ended up sleeping at a nursing home, where my mother worked as a nurse, and were able to return home the next morning. No flying cows or memorable stories resulted from that evacuation.

Since I married, my husband never wants to evacuate. I bring up the flying cow story, but he is not moved. So, as Ida entered the gulf, I knew he wouldn't consider leaving. We did our best to prepare, but is it ever enough? We lost power at noon on Aug. 29. Our son arrived from New Orleans that afternoon, and we started the countdown.

While I didn't see a cow fly, Ida brought back memories of Betsy. I remember grandma cooking every day and grandpa bringing food to our neighbors. And then there was the daily trip to the train depot to get blocks of ice. We spent a lot of time outside, together as a family. We played cards, board games and worked on puzzles by candlelight.

For Ida, the only house damage we had was the loss of ceiling fans on our porch. A large oak tree was uprooted and fell across our driveway, and several trees fell over our private road. Our neighbors and son were able to remove the tree on day three. A generator has been a blessing, and as of this writing we are still without power.

All in all, we made out better than most. Thanks to everyone who has offered help. We hope your family made it through Ida safely, and please let me know if you saw any flying cows.

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Around Ascension for Sept 8, 2021 | Ascension | theadvocate.com - The Advocate