One year after Hurricane Ida…

Home has always been Cut Off for Brittany Danos.

The small fishing town with a bayou running through its heart is where her three children, 11-year-old Naveha Washington, 8-year-old Nariah Washington and 3-year-old Nyomi Lowd, were born.

But Danos' home, a two-bedroom apartment with a small kitchen, like so many others, was destroyed by Hurricane Ida.

It took everything but her car and the clothes she and her children were wearing that night.

The powerful Category 4 storm, which made landfall Aug. 29, 2021, at Port Fourchon, snapped trees, tore up roofs and collapsed walls. The damage was more than physical. Survivors agree recovery is more than rebuilding.

One year later, most of the debris has been picked up, roads cleared to drive and power restored.

But Ida's destruction lingers. Thousands live in temporary housing, and some are fighting insurance companies over payouts — if they had insurance at all. Many feel anxious as the 2022 hurricane season's peak approaches.

In some cases, recovery stagnates. Buildings deteriorate as insurance companies and owners argue over repairs, leaving only a blue tarp between the home and nature. When physical recovery can happen, it's delayed by bureaucratic red tape and supply-chain issues that emerged during the COVID pandemic.

Rebuilding homes, searching for new ones

Danos has ridden out dozens of storms in Lafourche Parish — a rite of passage for many in Louisiana. Hurricane Ida was no different.

The 31-year-old and her three children huddled in her first-floor apartment until the afternoon when the roof collapsed.

"My ceiling in my bathroom fell, and then the ceiling in my room fell, and then the kitchen one fell in," she said.

They ran to a neighbor's apartment, but its ceiling caved in too.

After Ida passed, Danos tried to salvage what she could, but everything was ruined. No more family photos or toys. The clothes and furniture were destroyed.

She and her children moved to a friend's house in Shreveport. Danos works at Arby's and helps pay rent. She enrolled her children in Shreveport schools.

Danos wants to move back to Lafourche — back to where her family and the bayou community are calling her to return. There's a job waiting for her at the Burger King she's worked at for 10 years.

But prices for apartments, which are scarcely available and in high demand, are more than Danos can afford. On top of the high rent, most require a $1,000 deposit.

"It's still not that great. We're still trying to adjust. It's not where we want it," Danos said. "But, like I said, I just live for the moment. I mean, what else can I do?"

Danos isn't alone in struggling to find affordable or available housing. Apartments that are in a condition to be rented in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes are occupied, said Tammy Esponge, a spokesperson with the Apartment Association of Greater New Orleans and Louisiana.

A firm count is undetermined, but in Louisiana 3,284 households were placed in temporary housing and 22,575 in hotels following the storm through state and federal programs, according to a Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesperson. The number of households does not equate to individuals.

Tiffany Hebert of Chauvin left for the storm, and when she finally got back two weeks later, mold had ruined everything, causing the 26-year-old to throw away all of her belongings. She moved in with her fiancé, Jacob Theriot, and the couple are working to repair the home's damage.

Their home was constructed in the 1970s from the wood of a nearby church's remains. The couple want to preserve the wood they can, and save costs, so they are using insurance money to repair it themselves. They sectioned off the living room with tarps and blankets dangling in the hallways to keep the room cool. The other rooms are in varying stages of repair, with lumber on the floor.

Fighting over insurance money

Thousands of homes, apartments and businesses were damaged by Hurricane Ida. Those who had insurance often found themselves arguing over the extent of the damage and payouts.

It's one of the biggest struggles in Lafourche, said Parish President Archie Chaisson.

"Some of them were draining their savings accounts and their retirement accounts to be able to repair their houses, waiting for the fight, and ended up having to get lawyers and attorneys to help fight that battle," he said.

It's an issue seen across south Louisiana, especially in some of the hardest-hit parishes: Lafourche, Terrebonne, Jefferson and St. John the Baptist.

But every case is different, meaning recovery isn't one-size-fits-all, said St. John the Baptist Parish President Jaclyn Hotard.

"We've had some people who had success stories," she said. "We've had individuals, who, like in the region, their insurance companies went under. They're still dealing with the state. And then some people, maybe their insurance company didn't go under, but they're having difficulties trying to settle claims."

Frustrated residents sometimes didn't chase what could have been a larger payout, having lost energy or desire to argue with insurers, Hotard said. She's encouraging people to itemize their possessions before a storm using a tool like the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' homes inventory app.

Chaisson said Lafourche Parish government also is fighting with its insurance company and FEMA to repair some of its infrastructure, like pump stations.

Ida's emotional toll

After initial shock passed, communities moved into the grieving process.

Joren Tucker, 26, of Houma was staying in Cameron Isles Court apartments when the storm struck. After the storm, Tucker remained in the apartment until his family returned from Florida.

"I was there for four days without lights, food — I didn't buy any food — I had nothing to drink, everything in the ice box had kind of spoiled. It just messed with me mentally, you know? I know I was able to get by, but when you stay through a storm like that it just, it changes you."

On the fifth day, his mother picked him up and they moved to Abbeville. Tucker is a veteran of the Army and has an appointment to see his mental health counselor next month.

Lisa Schilling, executive director of the South Central Louisiana Human Services Authority, said the number of calls and actions taken for those facing trauma has risen significantly since this year's storm season began.

"Back in April of this year, when we had four straight weeks of really bad weather, our calls increased by 85%," she said. "Nothing but dealing with individuals and their stress and anxiety about the weather."

The call line is 877-500-9997.

Resilience — the word always touted after a big storm — is losing its charm. Each hurricane grinds down residents' resolve. As the money and time investment increases to become whole again after each storm, patience erodes.

"I'm almost tired, and I know many of our residents are tired of being resilient," said Hotard, who just moved back into her own at the start of July. "For other people who are still trying to get to that finish line, it has been exhausting. I believe that this particular event has taken more of an emotional toll on people because the recovery of the damage is so so vast."

'We're still here'

Amber White has a different story. Before the hurricane, she was on a path of drug use, she said. Surrounded by others who used meth, the storm wiped out her Bayou Blue mobile home.

She spent time in a tent camp with her 7-year-old son. At one point, their tent was blown away by a storm and their belongings lost. While hard, she said recovery from Ida has been a way to reset her life. Now she has gotten off meth, has access to case workers and new friends who are helping her rebuild.

"It was a blessing in disguise, I guess you could call it," she said. "I just needed a little push."

She and her son are living in a camper provided through a state-run temporary housing program. She doesn't know what comes next but she said it was better than where her life was headed.

The catastrophic storm, despite the destruction and obstacles to recovery, has been an opportunity for Lafourche, Terrebonne, Jefferson and St. John the Baptist parishes to rebuild stronger than before, parish presidents said.

"There's a lot of hope," said Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng. "Remarkably, in Jefferson Parish, we have been so strong in terms of our economy, our business community, they have been doing well."

Terrebonne Parish President Gordy Dove said his administration is working with FEMA to get funding to build a new courthouse, jail and power plant. He estimates the parish will be able to get about $500 million for repairs.

"We'll grow out of this," Dove said. "This is an opportunity to rebuild Terrebonne and be more resilient against hurricanes."

Recovery in Lafourche is about 70% complete, Parish President Chaisson said.

"We're here, we're open for business. Come visit," he said. "It's the same old Lafourche. It may look a little bit different, you may see a blue roof every now and then, but we're still here."

Contact reporter Colin Campo at [email protected]. Contact Daily Advertiser reporter Ashley White at [email protected].