Our Present

Prior to Hurricane Ida on August 29, 2021, there were 50 houses in Ironton, LA. Now there are 10. Ironton experienced flood levels as high as 12-14 feet during Hurricane Ida. Floodwaters lingered for weeks, making the community inaccessible to residents and destroying every house that had not been elevated following Katrina. Most residents have been living with relatives or in some other form of temporary housing since Ida.

To make matters worse, several residents currently residing in FEMA trailers will have to relocate at the end of February due to standing limitations for ongoing disaster-related housing assistance. Ironton’s residents face existential pressures as they weigh the prospects of rebuilding against the factors pushing them to leave. These include limited returns on insurance coverage, the slow movement of redevelopment funds and services, and the persistence of underbuilt infrastructure to protect them from future storms.

Nonetheless, Ironton’s residents are committed to preserving this place that they describe as a “paradise” and “the best place to raise your children.” These residents are determined to sustain the security and comfort that they have constructed over the past century and a half despite the emergence of policies that call for downriver communities’ “mananged retreat.”

Residents gather for monthly community-wide meetings every first Wednesday. At these meetings, they discuss ongoing concerns and upcoming opportunities. They build consensus around how to manage funds and how to move forward with a coordinated just recovery for Ironton. Little by little, things are returning to normal. Through these meetings, the community planned the reconstruction of Ironton’s cemeteries, which were catastrophically damaged during Ida, now almost completely rebuilt with support from FEMA and the Louisiana Attorney General’s office. For more information about these meetings, please email us at info@ironton-recovery.org.