Where's the Love After the Storm?

I am not a native of Lake Charles, but, I have been here for well over nineteen years and this is home to me and my family. If it affects Lake Charles, it affects me. I'm sure I don't have to tell you Hurricane Laura affected us all. There are friends of mine who have nothing left to come home to. There are others who might have minor damage, but their place of employment is no longer standing.

It's safe to say Lake Charles is not like it used to be. When we got hit early Thursday morning, we had wall-to-wall coverage on The Weather Channel and our local NBC affiliate and friends at KPLC. We even had the president come down to assess things before declaring a national disaster. However, here we are a few days later and things have gotten quiet about Southwest Louisiana. I will not forget those in Moss Bluff, Cameron, and our other neighbors close by who were also affected. I am just curious as to what now? We all need assistance and help. We are currently without power and water for weeks, possibly months and Lake Charles is no longer trending like we were Friday.

This is a great place to live, and the people here are resilient and brave. We have bounced back from Rita, Gustav, Ike, and many others. Yet, we seem to not be top of mind like New Orleans, Houston, and others who were just as affected and unfortunately, had many fatalities due to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Harvey, respectively. People are hurting now and while many on a national level can slip on their robes and walk to their living rooms, we have people who have nowhere to live. Thank you to many organizations and local residents who have come to our rescue and have really stepped up to help the community.

Lake Charles is still here and we need help. We need help rebuilding and we need help trying to get back to normal. We don't need people taking advantage of us or trying to get over on the vulnerable at this time. We simply want to be respected and treated fairly. I am with you, Lake Charles, and we will get through this together. Just because the storm is over does not mean the battle is over. Keep that in mind before you move on to the next story.