My Home Town By Mary Wroblewski
My home town, Houma, Louisiana is a little piece of heaven in the Southeast part of the State where you will come across the spirit of our country in its full glory. The goodness of these honest, hardworking people cannot be underscored. The Parish (known as a county in every other State) of Terrebonne is a community of fisherman and farmers, doctors and lawyers, priests and ministers, professors and poets, musicians and artist, oilfield workers and environmentalist, law enforcement and first responders, hunters and trappers and home cooks second to none. These people have largely lived their lives within ten miles of their birthplace surrounded by extended family, and the friends they played in the sandbox with. These people are bound by God, family, and country and are passionate fans of the LSU Tigers and New Orleans Saints.
Hospitality is abundant in this bayou community where residents will show genuine empathy and caring for you whether you are known to them or not. The highlight of every gathering is food, and a good time, that will never disappoint. The residents here will never let you down even when they are hurting.
Houma, Louisiana (population 33,334 in 2019) and Terrebonne Parish (population 110,461 in 2019) experienced the wrath of Ida, a strong category 4 hurricane on Sunday August 29, 2021 (same day hurricane Katrina visited the parish in 2005). The slow-moving storm pummeled Houma directly for hours with 140+ miles per hour winds leaving catastrophic damages in her wake. The devastation is stunning. No home, school, church, or business went untouched with eighty percent of homes uninhabitable. After three long weeks, power and water has been restored to most areas and major roadways have been made passable.
Residents are returning home to begin the work of putting their lives, homes and communities back together. It won’t be easy and the heartbreak is evident but these people are strong, these people are united, these people fight and persevere when most would wave that white flag of surrender. These people come from generations of optimist who pull together to help one another first and foremost. Through every storm of nature, every bad hunting, fishing and shrimping season, every manmade and natural disaster that has plagued the area causing economic downturn, these amazing Cajuns have survived and thrived!
Houma and Terrebonne Parish has suffered economically for decades but you would never know it by the spirit and resiliency of the people. They understand the value of their most precious natural resources and how to maximize what is there while still preserving their way of life. Despite the mountains of debris lining their streets and the months and possibly years of rebuilding ahead, they will be back, because, they are Terrebonne Strong! If you feel moved to donate to Ida relief: www.catholiccharitiesht.org/disasterrelief or any Ida relief fund of your choice.
