Louisiana man’s personal levee no match for Ida’s fury

By JAY REEVES
Associated Press

DES ALLEMANDS, La. (AP) — A Louisiana man who built a levee around his home after Hurricane Katrina thought he was winning the battle against Hurricane Ida. But water poured in once winds from the Category 4 storm bore down on the earthen berm. Now, Roy Comardelle is cleaning up a muddy mess and pondering when he might be able to get back on the water to catch crabs. Comardelle’s home is located about 35 miles southwest of New Orleans in a fishing community first settled in the 1720s. Comardelle’s levee has been overtopped by two other hurricanes since he built it after Katrina hit 16 years ago.