The Aftermath of Hurricane Ida: A Personal Retrospective
“Unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.”
- President Thomas S. Monson
This quote takes on added meaning when we consider how Hurst Texas Stake members provide community service and disaster relief efforts to those in need through the Church’s “Helping Hands” program.
Barry Dick, from the River Trails First Ward (congregation) shares his personal experience serving residents in Louisiana following the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in the fall of 2021.
Hurricane history has a conspicuous way of repeating itself. On September 9th, 2021, President Tommy Hamilton, 1st Counselor in the Hurst Texas Stake, sent an urgent email to request over 30 volunteers from our area to assist in the Hurricane Ida clean-up.
Having had the experience of helping victims of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, I joined Jared Fults, Bryce Jenkins and Ben and Jo Ellen Wagoner and traveled to Louisiana.
Jo Ellen Wagner, Ben Wagner, Bryce Jenkins, and Barry Dick serve a family in Louisiana impacted by Hurricane Ida. Photo by Geneva Shaw.
Day 1
I felt the Lord’s hand in guiding us to a special family and house for our day. Answering with a welcoming but exhausted voice, the homeowner, Cora Janes, agreed to meet us to survey the clean-up. We traveled to the town of Destrehan. The closer we got, the downed trees and wind-torn roofs increased in number and frequency.
In the backyard of the Janes home, a huge 70-foot Ponderosa pine tree lay parallel to the ground, and its arching horned branches 10-inches in diameter protruded through the storage shed roof. They must have spanned the width of the back yard nearly touching the back-porch awning.
As I pull-started my small chainsaw, I uttered a silent prayer that the Lord would guide us in this massive effort we had taken on. The pine’s trunk was wide—nearly 3.5 feet diameter, and I knew I could only hack away at limbs that umbrellaed the backyard, across the property line, over the fence, and into the creek.
Jared Fults and Bryce Jenson, my traveling buddies, finished work inside the home and came out back to rescue me, mustering the freshly sawed branches I had cut to the front yard. As the humid Louisiana afternoon wore on, there were no dry patches on our clothes.
Just as Jared and I finished up an argument about the Ponderosa, Bryce interrupted saying the neighbor across the street needed help. I gulped at the thought of taking on another job, but we knew it was important.
The neighbor said she did not want to take us away from our work, but her husband had proved no match for the stump that had broken off in the flower bed.
Bryce grabbed a steel pry bar and a shovel and began to expose the roots below. I didn’t know why I brought my ax until then. The earth released the stump and Bryce and I, on each side, carried it to the street. Our new friend voiced her gratitude before shedding tears of the harrowing year she had thus far with the loss of her son and now the destruction of the hurricane. We could tell she was a woman of faith and so Bryce and I prayed with her as we stood next to the mounds of ruins on the street.
We continued to work throughout the day—additional volunteers arrived. Emotion began to well up inside me as I knew the Lord had sent more helpers to bolster us in our morale and efforts.
As we sawed, carried, cut, shoveled, and sledded debris from the property to the front, the rain clouds gathered in the northeast. We continued clearing the backyard and salvaged what we could. Because of the rain, we knew the roof needed additional tarping and repair and we promised to return the next day when it was dry to finish.
(Left to right, front row) Ben and Jo Ellen Wagner, homeowner Cora Janes, Barry Dick, Geneva Shaw, Cora’s daughter. (Back row) Bryce Jenkins and Cora’s son. Photo by Jared Fults.
Day 2
The next day we arrived at our new assigned worksite but to the same familiar scene: massive trees down everywhere with acres of patched roofs and blue tarps as far as the eye could see.
We took out the large branches from the fallen parallel trees which traversed multiple properties. They were covered in poison ivy and oak vines.
Soon, the morning was over and the familiar afternoon rainstorm clouds began gathering in the northeast. Our group decided to finish the tarp job at Cora Jane’s house before it became too wet to walk on.
Upon arrival, our team moved quickly into position. Jared loaded the roof with tarps and board strips. The safest way to nail down the strips through the tarp was at the edge of the roof, with the tarp hanging upside down to the ground. That way we could stand with good traction on the shingles and pull the tarp over, right side up to the next level. Soon, lightning began to dance around. We scrambled to nail down one more tarp in the corner where he thought he had seen the leak inside. At this point, we could only pray we got the right spot covered.
As we stepped off the last rung of the ladder the rain began to pour. We did not have time to say goodbye as all took shelter. Cora and her family were safe inside the house as we waved farewell and headed back to the command center to return the tools.
We then began the 7.5-hour drive back to Fort Worth.
Later…
The week following, I discovered both my arms had a serious poison oak rash. I got it to subside, but not before being reminded of the Lord’s gift to Adam and Eve after leaving the Garden of Eden—that by the sweat of their brow they would eat and they would be tormented by thorns thistles and noxious weeds, as they gave us the opportunity grow and serve one another here in mortality.
Because of the Lord Jesus Christ, I have learned that being in service to our brothers and sisters, He will redeem us from the fall and bless us in all our efforts.
Barry Dick is a Hurst Texas Stake High Council Advisor of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and resides in the River Trails 1st Ward.