Hurricane Rita Experiences
Resettling and Rebuilding in Southwest Louisiana
Release Date: September 18, 2006
Release Number: 1603-555
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LAKE CHARLES, La. -- The stories told by Hurricane Rita's displaced residents in Southwest Louisiana are as different and fascinating as the people doing the telling. A number of residents of Cameron, Calcasieu, Vermilion and Beauregard parishes recently reflected on their yearlong journeys. They all spoke of an overwhelming sense of loss, yet a stronger sense of permanent connection to family, friends and the land of Southwest Louisiana.
The Dautriel Family of Calcasieu Parish
Before Hurricane Rita arrived, Sheryl and Ned Dautriel lived on Big Lake Road in Calcasieu Parish. Avid boaters who teach boating safety in their spare time, Sheryl and Ned had the perfect home on the headwaters of Calcasieu Lake. Their one-story house was built in 1980. Today it's gone.
"Water never came in before, even though we had flood insurance," said Sheryl. "We weren't going to evacuate until my daughter in Texas called to tell us to get out." It was a good call. They went to Leesville and found the last motel room in town. The next morning they returned to discover that all three of their residential and business properties suffered significant damage.
"Thanks to FEMA we got a travel trailer and it was wonderful," said Sheryl. "It made Thanksgiving cozy and comfortable. We had a truly thankful year proving that God does provide, and FEMA, too. We are grateful to Lake Charles for their help and the Rev. Wayne Taylor for food and cleaning utensils and even toothbrushes when we needed them."
Today the Dautriel's are in a new home they bought in Westlake. It's on higher ground than Lake Charles. "May FEMA continue to be a tool to aid those in need," said Sheryl.
The Hebert Family of Cameron Parish
Rebecca Hebert said she has "some good days and some really bad days and the only thing for certain is that it changes every day." Rebecca and her husband, Cedric, had built their home in the town of Cameron 27 years ago. Today there's nothing left of their house or any of the other family houses which stood nearby.
"FEMA gave us emergency money for food and gas, and we've bought some appliances and a storage building to keep everything in until we are ready to rebuild," said Rebecca. The Hebert's church gave them a voucher for a new washer and dryer. Today they live in Lake Charles in a FEMA travel trailer parked at a relative's home.
Rebecca said that she and Cedric were recently sitting in front of a campfire at the site of their former home when she realized, "You get up and keep working or you curl up and die-we decided to keep working. I get excited because I see some activity in Cameron. My brother is already building back his house and I'm thankful for my camper."
The Wicke Family of Creole
Before Hurricane Rita, Wendi and Greg Wicke lived in a 4,000 square-foot house in Creole. Although it was placed on a six-foot rise on four-foot pilings, the house couldn't stand up to the wind or the storm surge of Hurricane Rita. Now the family has relocated to Grand Lake where they are building a similar-sized house to hold their family of six.
"We had both homeowners insurance and flood insurance," said Wendi. "Our FEMA flood insurance paid immediately." Wendi offered advice about flood insurance for other homeowners: "Be sure to ask for contents insurance to be added to your flood insurance policy, and you need to make sure the value of your dwelling coverage keeps up with the value of your house from year to year."
The Wicke family had a real adventure during the past year. They evacuated Creole on Thursday before Hurricane Rita arrived and stayed in Lafayette for a week and a half. From there they went to Lake Charles to live with one set of in-laws for three weeks, then to Wendi's dad's home in Grand Lake for a week. Next they stayed with her sister's family and additional in-laws in a household of 15 people in Grand Lake for two and a half months.
The Wickes declined a pair of FEMA travel trailers to house their family of six because they didn't want to be separated. "But FEMA came through for us," said Wendi. "They installed a 14-by-70 foot trailer in the yard of the new house we're building on family land. They came out to our former home, told us it was totally destroyed and gave us $10,000 to get started rebuilding." The family also received $2,000 from FEMA for their emergency assistance needs.
A high school administrator and former fifth grade teacher, Wendi says this school year is also much smoother than last year. "We had to start back to school in October on a shared schedule at Grand Lake. But this year, FEMA put 44 temporary buildings at South Cameron High School in Creole," said Wendi.
"The strength of Cameron Parish is that we're all looking out for each other and in some sense we're all related," she said, pointing to the fabric of marriages, church and business throughout the parish.
Methodist Church outreach programs of Beauregard Parish
Sonny King may be counted among the most energetic residents of Beauregard Parish. She's a case manager with 100 clients in the Methodist Church outreach program. Her specialty is to arrange for the rehabilitation of homes damaged by Hurricane Rita.
"Three out-of-state work groups have come to help us," said King, "and we've also had community work days with local volunteers who built roofs, porches, and even a brand-new house from the ground up." For this home, the Methodist Conference funded part of the construction, and Grace Church did the lion's share. So the new house is dubbed "the house that Grace built," said King. "Our goal is to finish before September 24, and we're on track."
Sonny's husband, Gary, is in the U.S. Army at nearby Fort Polk. Both Sonny and Gary feel blessed to be able to raise their two young children in Beauregard Parish with the community's impressive spirit. "There are as many as 76 pastors at our ministerial association meetings, and whatever we need, they find for us."
Methodist Church outreach in Vermilion, Lafayette, Acadia and Iberia
The parishes of Vermilion, Iberia, Lafayette and Acadia are blessed with a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable faith-based leader of their own. The Rev. Kathy Fitzhugh was called by the Louisiana Conference of United Methodist Church to serve these four parishes in February. Today, she is a pastor in Abbeville and coordinator of Methodist storm relief for hundreds of families in the four parishes who suffered losses from Hurricane Rita.
"I've been very impressed by the way people are working together in the communities of Southwest Louisiana," said Rev. Fitzhugh, "and their deep-rooted resilience is wonderful. One family near Abbeville who lost their home rebuilt it from the remnants of seven other homes - it's very scriptural in a way, isn't it?"
Rev. Fitzhugh says she and her case workers coordinate closely with FEMA staff to help get the process of recovery started for some families and to keep it moving for other families. "We're working hand-in-hand to make sure people don't fall through the cracks, and this is the best team I've ever worked with," said Rev. Fitzhugh.
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Monday, 18-Sep-2006 15:36:06