The New Orleans Saints Fans in Boston group got together Sunday afternoon at the Union Street Restaurant in Newton, Massachusetts.
Typically, the hot topic would be sports, but this time it’s the weather -- more specifically, Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm with winds of 150 miles per hour.
“Most of my family is riding it out,” said Cameron Hoffpauir, who just moved to Boston from New Orleans a couple of months ago.
This is his first time not being there for a major storm.
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“You never know until it’s there,” said Hoffpauir. “You gotta hope for the best and make sure that everyone’s prepared.”
Jessica Morrison, who grew up in Louisiana and now lives in Brookline, helps run the local Saints fan club.
“It’s hard today,” said Morrison. “There’s a lot that feels just like 2005 with Katrina.”
“Here in Boston we know how to prepare for a blizzard, down there they know how to prepare for a hurricane, but it’s the aftermath, how long is power going to be out for, how long is the infrastructure going to be out for, will people be able to get their basic needs met.”
Lifelong Louisiana resident Leslie Boudreaux is in Massachusetts visiting family. He’s thinking about what Hurricane Isaac did nearly a decade ago, and worries it’ll be worse with Ida.
“We flooded before for Isaac,” said Boudreaux. “We had water in our house, and it looks like we may get it again.”
His daughter is relieved her parents are visiting and out of harm’s way.
“We’re really nervous about the family back home,” said Amanda Roser. “Our prayers are the only thing that can help them right now.”
