True, damage was negligible except in a few exposed areas on the coast. There was no need for mandatory evacuations. Shelters were opened and closed within a 48-hour period. There were no gas or food shortages or price gouging. Prior planning seemed to pay off.
But once inland, Ida created situations that will have long-term consequences.
Agriculture is one of Alabama's biggest industries. And of all the state's industries, none depend so much on the weather.
Ida hit agriculture hard.
After years of drought, farmers faced a wet spring; planting was delayed. Summer went well, and as fall approached there was talk of a good-to-excellent harvest.
Then came Ida.
Cotton, which needs to be picked and processed as soon as the bolls open, was ready for the machines to move in when the storm came. What was too wet to plow in the spring became too wet to pick in the fall.
Cotton left in the field too long turns gray and gets trashy. What was once considered good quality becomes "fair to middling" — if that. Because of Ida, only about one-third of the cotton crop has been brought in. Normally at this time of year, two-thirds of the cotton crop would be picked, ginned and ready to sell.
Few, if any, are talking about a good-to-excellent harvest any more. Fair-to-good is the best most farmers can hope for.
Cotton is not the only victim. Pecan growers are worried that the moisture left by Ida will rot the nuts before they can be gathered. Peanuts may be in worse shape. Growing under the ground, they will remain in the saturated soil to mold and rot if farmers cannot get into the fields and get them out to dry.
For some in the state, Ida's rains were a blessing. Lakes are full, rivers are flowing and hydroelectric facilities are operating at full throttle.
But what is good for some can be bad for others. And in these recessionary times, when a sector of the economy as important as agriculture takes a hit, sooner or later the rest of the state will feel the blow.
Ida was one more reminder of how, despite man's technological advances, we are still vulnerable to the weather. And farmers are the most vulnerable of all.
