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'It was either going to be a very good omen, or a very bad omen': Living on Ida Street after Hurricane Ida

Ida Street is just off Orleans Avenue in the city. The street is about 500 feet long and has a name that, right now, is hard to forget.

NEW ORLEANS — In Mid-City New Orleans, one street is right in the middle of it all when it comes to Hurricane Ida, both in location and name.

“I thought it was either going to be a very good omen or a very bad omen,” said Hanna Verlander, who lives on Ida Street.

Ida Street is located right off Orleans Avenue and is about 500 feet long.

“My first thought is that maybe we would be spared, or the alternative was that we would, you know, that we would be the punching bag for the whole city,” said Zach Oliver, who waited out the storm at home with his wife.

While Hurricane Ida's winds were tearing apart, Ida was bringing its neighbors together.

“When the storm passed, you know, my neighbors and I, we came out and cleaned up the street, we helped our neighbors down the street to kind of clean up everything around their business,” said Verlander.

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“We got a little nickname and I’m gonna get some hats made and so that everybody knows that we rode it out and we’re going to be proud that we rode it out,” said Dean Waltzer, who watched the storm with neighbors on his porch.

Because the one way we’re getting out of this is with each other.

“It’s really just an opportunity to get to know your neighbors and to participate in that community building, where, normally, a lot of times people just come and go out of their houses and they don’t really get a chance to spend a lot of time with your neighbors,” said Verlander.

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