Just like many other St. John the Baptist Parish residents, I didn't believe that hurricane Isaac would do this much damage to our area. I'm a lifelong resident of Reserve, Louisiana (which is just west of LaPlace), and in my 29 years living here, I have never seen such disastrous flooding.
Isaac, LaPlace, LA
It's not that any of us simply assumed there wouldn't be much damage because Isaac was only a category 1 hurricane - we were really given no warning that this could and would occur until it was too late. A voluntary evacuation was announced for our parish, nothing more, and up until the water began to rise so rapidly, we had not received any information that suggested we should prepare for major flooding.
Isaac, LaPlace, LA
My father owns an electrical, A/C, & plumbing company in Reserve so we never evacuate our homes when a hurricane threatens the Gulf Coast in case any of us are needed before, during, or after a storm. We feel that we have a duty to serve the residents and businesses of our parish during times like this, so I have experienced every tropical storm and hurricane that has effected our area since 1983.
Isaac, LaPlace, LA
I have had some very bad experiences over the years, but I have never seen anything like the destruction that Isaac brought and continues to bring to our parish as well as many other nearby areas.
Isaac, Plaquemines Parish, LA
It is estimated that approximately 4,000 residents of St. John the Baptist Parish were evacuated from their homes during and after the storm. Many of them have lost everything because of the flood waters, including some of my very close friends.
Isaac, Lutcher, LA
Homes in several neighborhoods went completely underwater while many, including my father's and grandfather's homes, held anywhere between 1 to 5 feet of water for a period of 2 or more days.
Isaac, Manchac, LA
After Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurpas began to overflow on Wednesday, August 29th, the water began to rise so rapidly that we didn't even see the flood coming until it was too late to do anything about it. My parents' front yard looked like a lake, and the people speeding down the street during the storm made things even worse. Every vehicle that passed by pushed more and more water into their home.
Isaac, River Forest, LaPlace, LA
We felt trapped, helpless, and cut off from the outside world, because we lost all methods of communication. We listened to the radio for hours and heard no news of what was happening or what was yet to come. Finally, people began to call various radio stations to get information. The radio personnel were doing the best they could to find out what was happening but still had no concrete information until residents began to call in to report what areas of St. John Parish were flooded.
Isaac, Plaquemines Parish, LA
Some even called for help, asking to be rescued from their neighborhoods because they had been sitting on top of their vehicles and homes for hours. No one was ready for this type of disaster because no one was informed that this could ever happen here.
Our parish has a lot of rebuilding to do, and although it will be a long and stressful time for all of us here in St. John Parish, we will, without a doubt, recover from this disaster. I'm just thankful that we all made it through this, as individuals and as a community.
Here are some pictures of several streets in Reserve, Louisiana, located in St. John the Baptist Parish.
My Storm Experiences Prior to Isaac
The first major hurricane that I actually remember going through was Andrew in 1992. We experienced some flooding in our yard and a tornado tore through our neighborhood, but thankfully did not hit our home.
Andrew
I also remember Frances & Georges in September of 1998, but our area had very little damage from wind or rain.
Frances
Georges
Lili hit the Louisiana coast in 2002 as a Category 2 hurricane. We really lucked out for this storm because we were expecting it to hit our coast as a Category 4, and I was in full panic mode throughout most of the storm.
Lili
Cindy hit Louisiana in July of 2005 as a Category 1, but I don't remember any major damages in our area.
Cindy
Then there was Katrina, the mother of all storms. Katrina hit the Louisiana/Mississippi Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on August 29 of 2005. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was absolutely terrified and I had a very good reason to be. Our parish experienced extreme winds and rain during the storm, but the aftermath was so much worse.
Katrina
Lower 9th Ward after Katrina
Superdome after Katrina
I was a student at the University of New Orleans when Katrina hit and had lived in the city for a few years prior to the disaster. So many of my close friends were living in the city when the storm hit New Orleans, and after we found out about the breaches in the levee system, I wasn't sure if they were dead or alive.
I can remember watching the news and seeing dead bodies floating down the flooded streets and wondering if they were people I knew. It was absolutely horrible. I thought New Orleans would never rebuild, but slowly but surely recovery came, with the help of millions of wonderful people around the world.
Less than a month after Katrina, Rita hit the Louisiana/Texas border. I hardly remember this storm because I was still so dazed from the aftermath of Katrina. I guess I sort of blocked it out because I wasn't ready to deal with more disaster.
Rita, Cameron LA
The worst experience I have ever had due to a hurricane was when hurricane Gustav hit the Louisiana coast in 2008. My grandfather passed away the night before the storm made landfall, and mourning his death while also dealing with major wind damages and widespread power outages was complete chaos. We had to postpone his funeral because most of our parish was out of power and many of his friends and family who evacuated could not get back home. It was an unforgettable, horrible experience which I hope I will never have to endure again.
Gustav
I've already told you about Isaac, our most recent hurricane, but I'm sure it won't be the last storm story I will ever tell. Hurricane season in Louisiana is hardly over, and there is a good possibility that we may experience one or more storms this year. Hopefully we will get lucky, but if we aren't, we'll do what we always do - prepare as best as we can, ride out the storm, and start putting our lives back together afterwards.
