LAFAYETTE PARISH — Nearly a year after a massive tree crashed through the roof of Albert Glaude’s home, repairs are finally in their final stages.
From repeated phone calls to piles of paperwork with his insurance company, Glaude said it took more than eight months before construction even began.
“They were saying somehow my application wound up at the bottom of other applications that came in,” Glaude said.
For months, a blue tarp covered the roof to keep rain out. In the early stages of the repairs, Glaude and his family had to relocate to a hotel for several weeks.
Glaude recalls the 2024 storm that left him and his family temporarily displaced.
“That was a horrible experience,” he said. “First of all, just the incident itself—the loud noise, the loud bang that happened. A huge tree fell on your house. That’s an experience I don’t think I ever want to go through again.”
Glaude was among many families in Acadiana who experienced severe damage from storms in May 2024—one month before the official start of hurricane season.
Now back in his home, Glaude said the experience taught him to never take storm forecasts lightly. With the 2025 hurricane season approaching, he’s taking extra precautions amid predictions of an above-average season.
While Lafayette didn’t see a direct hurricane strike in 2024, the early-season storms served as a reminder of what could happen if a major system were to hit the area.
Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) says it’s also preparing for what could be a challenging storm season.
"We're making sure if there’s any tree limbs encroaching our power lines, we’re trimming them—just making sure everything is in tip-top shape,” said Heidi Tweedel, business and marketing analyst at LUS.
In 2024, Hurricane Francine caused more than 300,000 power outages across Louisiana. LUS said it trains year-round to ensure staff are storm-ready.
“At the end of May, we do a tabletop exercise—almost like a mock hurricane. We walk through the entire process—what each team is doing when we’re three days out from a storm,” Tweedel said. “Everyone understands their role.”
Tweedel said the goal is to restore power to Lafayette as quickly and safely as possible.
Tweedel encourages families to start preparing now for hurricane season and to have a plan in place in case disaster strikes. You can download their guide, here.
