ESTES PARK, Colo. (KDVR) — A couple from New Orleans is keeping their eyes on local news and updates from neighbors as Hurricane Ida made landfall in the city Sunday.
“The people we know in the city. They’ve lost power and we’ve lost contact with those folks,” Mark Orfila, who is currently dog sitting in Estes Park said.
He and his wife Kelley arrived in Colorado last week after they were asked to dog sit for friends who would be traveling until mid-September. But before leaving New Orleans, there was no indication that Hurricane Ida was on the radar which means they left without prepping their home for the storm.
“Evacuating is an expensive thing. We were fortunate to be here, cause it’s not that easy to get out,” Orfila said.
He said neighbors, along with the couple’s son were able to come over and bring in items that would fly off and secure other parts of the home. Still anxious being away, the majority of Sunday afternoon the couple kept an eye on their Ring doorbell camera to see how their home was handling the storm.
“In a lot of ways, it’s a more intense storm than Katrina but I’m hopeful there will be less flooding and loss of life because the levees and all that have been shored up,” he said.
The couple’s main concern is their family and friends who decided to stay and sit out the storm. They said another concern is their wedding photos, their home and other sentimental items.
“In New Orleans, there is a lot of good people who look out for each other. But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about looting,” Orfila said.
The couple is supposed return to New Orleans in mid-September but they said that all now depends on if/how much damage there is to their home. He said if the city is without power for the next few weeks and there is minimal damage to their home, they will try and extend their trip. But he said if there is major damage to their home, they will head back earlier than expected.
But for now they are just enjoying everything Colorado has to offer.
“Were using the beauty of this place to distract us. If we get too much anxiety we use the mountains and the deer and the elk and all that to relax,” Orfila said.