I took one of my day trips to Louisiana the last couple of days. I took my bride, the Hen, as we had been invited to a dinner party by a lady friend of hers who lives in Abbiville.
Took the old route. Jumped off IH10 at Winnie towards Pt Arthur.
Saw some minor, this is a relative term used in comparison with the carnage that I was too witness, damage.
From a point about the bridge that crosses the intercoastal canal, heading east, towards Johnsonsons bayou there is increasing damage evident. The roads are intact at this point but there is a need for some rehab.
The damage to structures is becoming more severe. There are some new residential structures along this route and these, in the majority of cases, survived intact. they evidently were built to more severe standards and are very high above the land, on pilings.
The industrial complexes along this tract are mostly small, pumping stations and some gas gathering stations. these showed evidence of repairs in progress.
This is still in Texas until we cross Johnsons bayou.
Johnsons Bayou has a small amount of commercial businesses and the damage to these was fairly minor, allowing them to be open, with reduced services.
From Johnsons Bayou, which is a Bayou and not a town, eastward too Holly Beach is about 15 miles of flat, open, low (3 feet above sea level) salt grass and no structures.
At Holly Beach where I connect with LA 82 is where the destruction begins. Holly Beach WAS a community of camps. Various residential structures of many kind. These are camps, weekend homes, almost all built on pilings 8 or 9 feet above ground, well I should have said WERE built.
All structures, including most pilings, all 1000 or so. are gone. ZERO left, nada, none.
What is left id dibre, well except for two very large sea going barges, one within a foot of the road ROW, the other within thirty yards of the ROW. Lest I forget, one LARGE gulf bouy, normally at station about 50 miles in the gulf.
It is about 10 miles from Holly Beach to the ferry located at Cameron. There is no stucture along this stretch. The commercial, industries tied to serviceing the offshore rigs begin to crop up along this portion of 82 that parallels this ship channel. All of these are operating but show extensive damage and contractors making repairs.
The ferry landing showed damage but is operational. What is visible, within 300 yards either side of the landing are 5 well beached Large Gulf shrimpers. All more than 50 yards on shore now.
I cannot describe, as I have no words, the devistation from this point for the next 86 miles. There are NO structures, residential, commercial, schools or industrial which are operational. All dwellings are beyond habitation or gone. Cameron does not exist any longer. The only building to survive is the Parish courthouse, made of concrete. No schools left standing, no churches, the bank was gutted, no FD, nothing in a town of some 1000 souls. We had to detour at Oak Grove as a bridge was damaged. It was about a 6 mile detour. Nothing was inhabited.
Folks it was this way until about forked Island about 10 miles from Abbiville.
Abbiville has no damage to speak of.
Lots of stories to tell.
Pray for these people.
Blessings
