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A month later, Laura survivors hope they aren't forgotten

Posted at 10:56 PM, Sep 27, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-28 07:20:49-04

In parts of Calcasieu Parish, power lines have been repaired and electricity has been restored.

In Lake Charles, you can see traffic lights are now working in parts of the city, as residents continue to return home for recovery efforts.

While those scenes give some hope that the recovery is going smoothly, residents there say they need all the outside help they can get.

A month after Hurricane Laura, not much has changed in some areas.

"Theres not a single building that doesn't have some type of damage," says Westlake resident Roishetta Sibley.

Sibley returned home from Houston last week. She says since then she's been struggling to find basic supplies.

"Everybody is rushing to the store, because the stores close early, once you get to the store everything you need is gone," she says.

On Sunday, she waited outside a furniture store for a truck full of supplies to come. She says she's thankful for donations coming in from out of town, like that truck.

"You may look at it like, oh their house is fine, so they,re fine, but there,s so many factors as to why we're not functioning normally right now," she says.

Across the bridge in Lake Charles, Patrick Harrison works every day cleaning up his two-story home.

"We're going to tear down this front part, and possibly the back," he says.

Laura nearly destroyed his home: ripping off the roof, knocking bricks loose and causing the living room to cave in.

"You notice we've been working around here, throwing stuff out to the street," Harrison says.

Sibley and Harrison agree: They hope volunteers keep sending supplies.

"Whatever they can do, I'm extremely grateful. We will build back again," he says.