What are the odds? Two major hurricanes, on the same day, 16 years apart?On Aug. 29, 2005, Category 3 Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Some thought that there was no way this could ever happen again.Then, Aug. 29, 2021, Category 4 Hurricane Ida made landfall.It happened. Both storms were catastrophic but in different ways.After both hurricanes, people thought, 'How can we ever put our lives back together again?'Hurricanes that are that intense make some question the safety of living here. They question whether they should rebuild, if they can afford to rebuild and if they can afford to insure or even get insurance.One thing is certain. Hurricane Katrina and Ida have given us even greater respect and fear of the largest storms on Earth. Here is a recap of Hurricane Katrina: Category 3 hurricane: 125 mphPressure 920 mbFifth deadliest hurricane to strikeU.S.: 1,833 people died, most drowned.Costliest on record: $186.3 billionRain: About 8-10 inches for southeast Louisiana, max 11.63 inches in SlidellVery large hurricane: Hurricane-force windsExtend out from the center: 120 miles from the centerTropical force winds: 230 miles from the center. 460 miles across.Eye: 30 miles in diameterExtreme waves: 47 feet east of mouth of riverRapid intensification: Two times. Doubled in size after going through eyewall replacement. Category 3 to Category 5 in 12 HoursMassive Storm Surge: Highest storm surge ever recorded in the U.S. 27.8 feet, Pass Christian 18.7 feet, Alluvial City Gulf Outlet, 15.5 feetLakefront Airport, 11.8 feetGrand Isle, 12 feetSlidell, 11.63 feetHere is a recap of Hurricane Ida: Category 4 hurricane: Winds: 150 mph Pressure: 931 mbDeaths: 875th costliest: $75 billionRain: About 10 inches, 15.04 inches in PonchatoulaMedium size hurricane:Hurricane force: 50 miles from the centerTropical force: 150 miles from the center 300 miles acrossEye: 15 milesExtreme waves: 27.36 feet at Southwest PassRapid intensification: 2 times, Category 1 to Category 4 in 24 hour periodDevastating Storm Surge:Grand Isle: 10.02 feetGolden Meadow: 10.01 feetFrenier Landing: 9.9 feetLaplace: 9.9 feetLafitte: 9.5 feetKenner: 5.9 feetPointe a la Hache: 7.7 feetHurricane Katrina produced a storm surge of 24 to 28 feet centered on Bay Saint Louis, 20 miles wide, that moved inland 6 miles and 12 miles in the Bays and Rivers. It wiped the slate clean. Sometimes, just the cement stairs remained, and sometimes even the foundation was gone.There was no evidence of what once was. A friend found a spoon from her destroyed home, but everything else washed away.The storm surge that poured into Lake Pontchartrain caused 53 breaches in the levee system, flooding 80% of New Orleans and taking 43 days to get the water out.It also took out bridges like the Slidell Twin Span.Why did Category 3 Katrina produce a bigger, more destructive storm surge than Category 4 Ida? Katrina was a lot bigger. Bigger hurricanes create higher storm surges. It was also a Category 5 hurricane with 175 mph winds 170 miles offshore. Just because it diminished in intensity at landfall does not mean the energy died. The surge was already created. Katrina diminished in intensity as it approached the coast of Louisiana. It was beginning to go through another eyewall replacement. The eye was 30 miles in diameter. Think of a ballerina. When she opens her arms, she spins slower. When she pulls her arms together, she spins faster. Ida was spinning fast. The eye was 15 miles in diameter, half the size of Katrina. Ida intensified as it approached the Coast of Louisiana. Water temps were in the mid to upper 80s. Wind Shear was light.Ida went from a Category 1 Hurricane to a Category 4 in 24 hours, making landfall as a Category 4 with 150 mph winds. Ida is one of three hurricanes with 150 mph winds to make landfall along the Coast of Louisiana. The others were Laura in August 2020 and the Last Island Hurricane of August 1856.Because of Katrina, Ida’s damage was not as bad as it could have been, thanks to the $14.5 billion spent on the Levee Protection System. The levees held in New Orleans during Ida. Unprotected areas flooded.Some people thought, "I do not need to worry about Ida. I did not flood in Katrina."Ida was smaller, stronger and had a different track. Every storm is different and will have different impacts. You can not judge the impacts of one storm by what has happened in the past.Katrina came in at the Mouth of the Mississippi River and tracked to the Louisiana-Mississippi border. The size of the hurricane, the forward motion, the shape of the land, the slope of the shoreline or bathymetry and the track determine the storm surge.The highest surge is at landfall and to the right of landfall. Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany parishes and the Mississippi coast were pounded. The Mississippi coast and the toe of the boot of Louisiana act as a funnel. The water also poured into Lake Pontchartrain.People in Laplace thought Katrina was not too bad but discovered Ida was a disaster. It’s about the track. Ida’s track was farther west. Remember, the greatest storm surge is at the Center and East of the Center. Ida came in at Port Fourchon and moved north northwest over Terrebonne, Lafourche and the River Parishes into Livingston and St. Helena. It caused a 10.2-foot storm surge at Grand Isle, 10.1-foot at Golden Meadow and 9.5-foot at Lafitte. Homes and businesses were washed away. Some areas were uninhabitable. Every structure on Grand Isle was damaged.The counterclockwise flow sent a lot of water into the lake. That water traveled west, piling up on the West side of Lake Pontchartrain. There is no levee protection system there. The water surged into Frenier Landing and Laplace. There were white caps on waves pushing across the streets of Laplace. People ended up in attics calling 911 for help, but no help could come during the height of the storm.Murrey Daniels at Frenier Landing has recorded the height of every storm surge since Katrina. Here is how they all compare: While Katrina was decreasing in strength as it approached the coast, a lot of weather equipment still washed away. We do not have accurate wind reports. Ida was truly a wind event.Ida made landfall at Port Fourchon at 11:55 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021.A nearby ship reported a wind gust of 172 mph. Another ship had an incredible wind gust of 223 mph. These reports were not considered in the landfall intensity because of unknowns of elevation and exposure. The anemometer at Grand Isle was blown out at 148 mph. Ida moved from Houma to near Laplace as a Category 3 hurricane, wreaking havoc with wind damage. Dulac had a wind gust of 138 mph. Galliano 121 mph. New Orleans 113 mph. Strong winds continued all the way to the Northshore. Mandeville had 110 mph winds. Some information, of course, was lost as the equipment was blown out or washed away. Thousands of trees went down, taking power lines along with them. Homes were without power for weeks and sometimes months.Power outages lead to another disaster. People died from heat exhaustion and carbon monoxide poisoning.The message of the dangers of storm surge truly prevented a lot more deaths from Ida. A total of 87 people in all died in the United States, 30 of those in Louisiana and 2 in Mississippi. Every hurricane teaches us a lesson.More and more often, we see the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. A tropical storm may grow to a monster Category 4 or Category 5 and make landfall within three days. That means you must be able to act quickly. If there is a storm in the Gulf, you have to check back frequently to make sure there are no changes to the forecast. Social Scientist found people listen once, form an opinion and do not check back. Meanwhile, the forecast changes with greater impacts forecast. If you are going to stay for a hurricane, be aware you may be without power for weeks or months. If you can’t handle it, don’t stay. Heat exhaustion and carbon monoxide poisoning are big killers. Many deaths happen after a hurricane when people are cleaning up debris. This is when electrocution or falling off rooftops occurs.We live in an amazing area where we celebrate life, music, food, dancing and more with passion. It is where we suck the head and eat the tail. When eating tomatoes, they are only creole. We are taught from birth that to make a good gumbo, you first start with a roux. We ask, "Where did you go to high school," and, "How’s your Mama?"This is where we dance in the streets, and people join in just because. In all the world, there is no place like our home. The price we pay is the risk of a major hurricane, but at least you can see them coming. By now, we all know that if you stay, just keep an ax in the attic.