By Tim Binnall
A drone video showing the devastation left behind by Hurricane Ida features a rather remarkable detail in the form of a Virgin Mary statue that somehow managed to remain standing amid the storm. The strange sight was reportedly first noticed by a Facebook user who was watching a local TV station's footage from the Louisiana community of Grand Isle, which was hit particularly hard by the hurricane. Amid a slew of destroyed homes in the battered community, Kelly Walgamotte spotted something odd on the deck outside of one residence and, upon zooming in on the puzzling sight, realized that it was a statue of the Virgin Mary that went seemingly untouched when the storm swept over the area.
Upon sharing the uplifting discovery (which can be seen in more detail below) on social media, many people marveled at the miraculous nature of the scene, while some more skeptical individuals insisted that it must be a hoax. However, that contention would seem to be without merit as the statue is clearly visible in the TV station's video at around the three-minute mark and it is doubtful that anyone remaining in Grand Isle would have gone to the trouble of faking such a thing given the very real challenges facing the community at this time. Eventually, a person claiming to be from the family which owns the home stepped forward and explained that the statue "has been there since I was a little girl" and mused that "it's okay if you don't want to believe."