More reports from my family in Lake Charles:
Uncle L and S went to Lake Charles today, and Uncle L stayed in Lake Charles.
The house directly across from them had a big tree cut it in half. L thinks it's unrepairable. The house just to the west of it (we called it the Sabatier house) is also totalled, because of trees falling.
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[My sister] B has a large back yard of tall pine and other trees, probably virgin forest. We could never see what was behind her in the woods because they were so thick, and in Louisiana you don't go hiking in the thick woods next to bodies of water. Well, all those trees are gone, and all of a sudden she can see a mile away to the Port of Lake Charles and its big ships. We never considered what was behind those woods. Instead of a dark green wall, there is now only clear western sky. And no trees.
Her son J and his wife built a house next to B's and was to have moved in this week. All the light fixtures up, new washing machine and dryer, etc...everything in pristine shape. A huge tree fell on the roof and cut a path all the way to the first floor. THEY are devastated. The only bright side is they have good insurance, which they had to have in order to get $ from the bank for a mortgage. They're happy they didn't move in all their furniture. At least they have that. BUT, the apartment they're living in had a big tree fall on it and one of the bedrooms is open to the sky. They were in Baton Rouge with all the other relatives. No one is hurt.
Some trees on my lot have been blown down, but they'll be fairly easy to remove.
On B's street, her husband found today two big boats with motors attached, which hadn't been there before the hurricane. The street ends at the bayou, which is about 1/2 mile away. They don't know whose boats they are, but they were probably washed up from some dock on the bayou.
A window was broken in another niece's house, and a pecan, with its green soft coat on, was found on the floor. The wind must have hurled it so hard it broke the big window.
If you stood at one end of W Street, where several of my family live, you cannot see the other end (it's only 2 blocks long) because so many trees are fallen in the streets. In fact, you cannot see beyond the trees immediately in front of you. The trees that are still standing have no leaves. They say it is eerie.
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