Lafourche Parish is a small parish south of New Orleans, Lousiana and also the place that Buddy Cantrelle calls home.
But the place Cantrelle knows so well was changed forever by Hurricane Ida.
“All the suffering…a lot of co-workers, family, lost everything they had,” Cantrelle said.
Cantrelle is the offshore operations manager of Crosby Tugs, a boating company assisting with wreckage cleanup of the Golden Ray. Cantrelle has been working on the wreckage for about a year, but back home, family and friends are back in Lafourche Parish picking up the pieces after being devastated by Hurricane Ida.
“The reason I’m giving this interview is I’m hoping the word gets out and we can get some additional help because it’s needed. If we didn’t need it I wouldn’t even be talking about it,” he said.
Lafourche Parish was one of the hardest-hit areas by Hurricane Ida. The parish is still dealing with widespread damage and power outages. Even finding clean water is a challenge. Right now, a boil water order is in place for parts of the area.
Cantrelle said there has been too much focus on the devastation seen in New Orleans.
“I guess it’s only natural because New Orleans is the big city and the one that got walloped from Katrina big time,” he conceded. “You want to see the human suffering and you want to help, you need to go to Terrebonne Lafourche Parish.”
According to the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, every single building in the area had damage, from minor to complete devastation.
If you would like to donate directly to Lafourche Parish visit Bayoucf.org for more information. Bayou Community Foundation is solely focused on communities of Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Grand Isle.