PECAN ISLAND — One of the communities in Acadiana still feeling the surge and impacts of Hurricane Laura is Pecan Island.
Although the water is still high in some areas, property owners have already begun cleaning up and rebuilding.
"It wasn't as bad as I thought. I didn't even really think my place was going to be here, so I was lucky it was even still standing... all of us are," said homeowner Jory McKenzie.
McKenzie is grateful, but that doesn't exactly mean he's in the clear.
"Yeah, I got some water damage," explained McKenzie. "I was tearing the walls apart, changing the insulation, replacing it, putting it all back together."
Fortunately for McKenzie, he's getting by with a little help from his friends.
"When we found out he was in trouble over here, we came and offered what we could do for him," said Norma Broussard, McKenzie's friend.
Norma and her husband Robert traveled from New Iberia to assist McKenzie, bringing him gas for his generator, plywood and a home-cooked meal.
"We are retired. He works, so anything we can do for him to get him on his way, get his campsite back, his home back... that's why we're here," said Robert. "We enjoy this kind of stuff, giving to someone else because I've been and she has been giving a lot, so why not give back."
The couple says it doesn't matter how long it takes; they're going to make sure their friend gets back on his feet.
"You do for one; we ask for nothing in return," said Norma. "We just say, 'Pay it forward.'"
McKenzie is happy his friends are just a phone call away.
"I'm glad they came by. It was nice to see them besides when we go fishing," said McKenzie. "It was nice that they brought me a few things that I can use."
In the meantime, McKenzie is staying elsewhere, but with the help he's receiving, he's hoping to back in his home sooner rather than later.
