Lake Charles, Louisiana - 22 December 2020
1. Sherry Bourque showing the tent she lives in
2. Bourque's father holding a puppy
3. Bourque's daughter holding her baby
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4 . SOUNDBITE (English) Sherry Bourque, Lake Charles, Louisiana resident:
Most of my family's out here, it's my dad, my daughter, her boyfriend, her little boy and two newborn little girl twins, so there are seven of us total."
5. Bourque's daughter with her newborn twins
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6. SOUNDBITE (English) James Baker, Lake Charles, Louisiana resident:
"I decided to stay home to ride this thing out, and I didn't know it was going to be that rough, but me and the dog that I have in the house. Her and I went through it."
7. Baker showing structure damage
8 . Bourque's father, James Baker with his dog
9. Various of Bourque showing the tents around yard
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10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sherry Bourque, Lake Charles, Louisiana resident:
"It's like we've been forgotten. They'll make it something, they'll show up on the news, they'll remember us for about a week or two, and then it goes back down to they just forget about Lake Charles and the surrounding areas that got hit so bad."
11. Family gathered around tents
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12. SOUNDBITE (English) James Baker, Lake Charles, Louisiana resident:
"It hit me like someone hit me with a baseball bat in the head, but with God's help, I can make it a day at a time like I'm telling, and I can get through this."
13. Baker with his dog
14. Bourque's daughter holding her baby
15. Bourque and Baker in yard
FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4303199
Back-to-back Hurricanes Laura and Delta brought unprecedented devastation to Lake Charles, Louisiana this past hurricane season.
For the Baker family, they not only had to ride out both storms, but shortly after, James Baker also lost his wife of 40 years to the COVID-19 virus as well.
James describes the magnitude of the storms he rode out, and says it is something he wound not wish on anybody.
Their family is a snapshot of the struggles of many here, feeling forgotten about after national attention moved on. Their options have been few. Sherry Borque's home was destroyed, so she went to live with her father James.
James' home was so heavily damaged they cannot live in it, as extensive roof damage was followed by mold infestation.
The two have been living in tents in his backyard, along with Sherry's daughter Hannah Bourque, her boyfriend and two-year-old son, and recently, she gave birth to now four-week-old twins.
Volunteers lent them a camper, which James, and Hannah and her newborns, now spend the night in. Sherry describes the frustration of a slow and minimal response by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and differences with insurance companies and contractors, as barriers to being able to move forward.
Like so many, they feel attention to their plight has left, and Southwest Louisiana, not being a cosmopolitan region or tourist destination, has simply been forgotten.
