Lake Charles Falls Short Again After Devastation

February 15 is not a day many will forget, as it started several dim and questionable days ahead. I remember waking up with no power in the house because of the power being shut off. There was no running water and my family and I were questioning our future.

Within hours, the news came out about the devastation in Texas with power being out and pipes busting all over the state. There were lives being lost and people didn't have food or ways of even being able to eat. The situation is sad to even speak about it less than a week later. When it comes to neighbors, Texas and Louisiana are like cousins. We travel the interstate visiting relatives and tasting great food on both sides. We have also shared great times with one another. However, this past week has seen us once again being overshadowed while dealing with similar circumstances.

In 2020, we dealt with two major hurricanes back to back and many of us are still waiting on insurance checks or reimbursement for money spent. Several owners and businesses will never open shop again and for those who will, they don't have a definite of when things will happen. Then we get hit with the winter storm. Many homes were still not repaired from the hurricane damage and many people are still homeless. With the weather taking a major toll on the city, even with it being a beautiful day out today, we have work to do and the news and media have pushed us aside as our story is not as glamorous as our counterparts.

I don't want to minimize anyone's loss or damage, as we were all affected. It just appears that because our city is smaller than others and we don't have the high death tolls as others, it's old news before you know it. Thanks to those in the city who really stepped up and helped out with water distribution and also food to assist for those who needed it, but I don't know how much more Lake Charles can handle. We need assistance and a hand that doesn't pull away when the next story comes up. My prayers are going out for those who lost their loved ones in Texas and some who have thousands of dollars of things to fix over the next few months and maybe years. We just want to be remembered as well. We have really taken a hit, and being forgotten is not a good feeling.