‘Devastation everywhere’: Louisiana city wakes up to storm’s aftermath
Lake Charles felt the full force of Hurricane Laura and now residents who rode out the disaster are picking up the pieces
Classie Ballou lives on the fifth floor of Chateau du Lac, an eight-story retirement home in the Louisiana city of Lake Charles. “I made it through Rita,” he said from a park bench in the rubble of downtown as he reflected on the fury of Hurricane Laura that had just roared through his home town. “Honestly, I thought it wasn’t going to be that bad.”
He shook his head. “If I were doing it over, I would leave.”