Days after strong winds moved through Acadiana, a fallen tree in Church Point is still causing problems.
"It scared me. It sounded like a bomb going off, and then I jumped up," says homeowner Ralph Larcade.
But, it wasn’t a bomb. What shook and wiped out half of his house was a tree. He shares the home with a roommate, Naomie Bordelon, and her five-year-old daughter.
"We have no insurance on the house," says Larcade.
"We have no resources. I’m on disability, and he’s unemployed. We were making it but barely. There’s nothing extra; we have no extras, no way to get the stuff out of the house. The house is hazardous. We can’t even go back in it," says Bordelon.
The Red Cross provided the pair enough money to fund a couple of nights in a motel while Naomie’s daughter stays with family. Tomorrow, that money runs out and Larcade has one fear.
"It’s that we’ll become homeless. I’m worried more about the child than anything else," says Larcade.
Meanwhile, the fallen tree hasn’t been moved, and the Town of Church Point closed the street to prevent more property damage. It’s blocking traffic and only worsening the condition of the house. Police Chief Albert Venable says the town doesn’t have the resources to remove the tree. He’s hoping someone can help.
"Tree service or anyone that could come with any type of equipment to move the tree over the house, it would be a blessing to the family," says Chief Venable.
To give to Naomie, her daughter and Ralph while they work to find a new home, you can visit their GoFundMe page here.
