LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – Years ago today, on August 27, many in SWLA woke up to news of the devastation left behind by Hurricane Laura. But there were also some who chose not to evacuate, including one family who says they will never endure another hurricane.
Virginia Johnson spoke about the reasons for her family staying, which mainly revolved around her grandfather: “Our only choice was not to leave him behind, we are taking him with us.”
When the Boudreaux family received a call that their mobile grandfather would not be evacuated, they decided to ride out the storm to be with him.
But no one expected Hurricane Laura to hit land as one of the strongest storms ever to hit Louisiana.
“It was one of the worst nightmares I’ve ever had. And when I think about the fact that we’re going to have the anniversary again soon… it’s scary, and when hurricane season comes, it’s scary. The possibility of having to go through that again, and you think about all the things you could lose.”
Throughout the storm, the Boudreaux family hid in the bathroom of their home. They even said that at certain moments it felt like the wind was catching them.
They even wrote their names and social security numbers on themselves in case someone needed to rescue and identify them.
The Boudreauxs even had life jackets and kayaks ready in case they needed to take their grandfather along.
But unfortunately these efforts were not enough.
“My father died four days later. He died, the stress of being left behind, the stress of not having oxygen, the stress of just going through it. It was hard… he died four days later. The worst part was we couldn’t bury him properly because the cemetery was damaged. We had to say goodbye quickly because Johnson’s Funeral Home couldn’t take him much longer.”
But coping with the death of a loved one wasn’t the only thing Hurricane Laura left behind.
“I had to take anti-anxiety medication because my doctor told me I had PTSD. And you don’t think, ‘Oh, I’m going to get PTSD from something like this,’ but I definitely will, and that’s why I’m not going to endure another hurricane.”
The Boudreaux family says they have been able to keep going largely because of the amazing support they have received from the Westlake community. They also say they will always be grateful to be here to tell this story and to have a home to live in.
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