It is home for now.
Kristen Harrell and her family were able to escape the wrath of Hurricane Laura by heading from Lake Charles to Denham Springs to stay with family.
Today, they are staying in their camper at a campground in Scott.
"We were able to do what not everyone was able to do," Harrell explained. "We can live outside of the disaster area where we have electricity and water and drive in everyday. That's been...the camper has been such a blessing."
During the day, Harrell and her dad drive into Lake Charles. She said they work to clear debris, salvage what they can, and board up parts of their homes that were damaged during the storm.
"My home has a lot of damage," Harrell said. "My parents were in Moss Bluff and were in a forest. They're no longer in a forest. Much more damage; four trees on the house."
While this whole process has been difficult, Harrell said she and her family have kept their faith. It is the one thing they have to hold onto during a time like this.
"My other brother who is the military and was stationed overseas...I was talking to him during the storm and I was telling him, 'John I don't know if I'm going to have anything to go back to?' He said, 'When you've been through a few wars it puts things into perspective. You have your dogs, you have your family, you're okay. Everything else is gravy.' He's right," Harrell said. "God's got it."
As Harrell continues to monitor the recovery, she says she cannot help but feel a sense of pride.
She knows that community will rebuild and make Lake Charles and surrounding areas a better place to live.
"That's the Cajun spirit," Harrell said. "The Cajuns went through absolute horrors in getting to Louisiana from Canada. I also say that is why we're such happy, loving people. We've been through something that was so bad, we had nothing, we're given southern Louisiana, and we turn it into our paradise. That's what we're going to do again. That's why we're those kind of people. "