Hurricane Rita, Cameron Parish, Louisiana
The Cameron Parish Pilot, Cameron, La
Submitted by Kathy Tell
Date 25 Jan 2006

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Where are they now?
Report on the evacuees

By NELL COLLIGAN 
Page 6, The Cameron Parish Pilot, Cameron, La., January 12, 2006


DUPUY
SHIPMAN
Debbie Taylor Dupuy called two weeks ago to tell me about the harrowing night that she and her
friend, Becky Shipman experienced during the storm. Earlier that day, Debbie and her husband
and the Shipmans had decided to leave the Dupuy’s mobile home and go to the two-story home of
Debbie’s son, Derrick LaFosse and his new bride, Menieca. As they reached Derrick’s home, they
were welcomed in even though Derrick and Menieca were in the process of evacuating. Debbie
said that throughout the storm, while other family members slept, she and Becky could hear the
wind howling around them. “It sounded as though we were surrounded by tornadoes.” She
described the scene when the storm was over. “The wind had stripped a big tin shed of its
covering and wrapped the tin, rebar, and chunks of concrete around the branches of a nearby
tree. It looked like a tree does when high school kids wrap it with toilet tissue in the yard
of a favorite football player during homecoming week.”

ASHFUL AUTHEMENT
GARY SHIPMAN
According to Debbie, Theresa and Ashful Authement, Sr. are living in a camper in her yard in
Laccasine. Gary and Becky Authement Shipman and their family are also there. (Cameron
residents may recall that Gary and Becky owned the Cameron Liquor and Deli next to Roux’s Bar
in Cameron.)
After the storm, Ashful Jr. and Charlene went to Bismarck, Ark. where they found a place to
rent. Shawn and Sheila Griffin Authement and Sheila’s father, Ernest Griffin, joined them
later. They are all still there.

GEORGE KELLY
JIMMY KELLY
Debbie also reported that George and Marie Kelly and their daughter, Evelyn and son Jimmy and
his wife, Mona Kelly rode out the storm at Larry and Blackie Taylor’s home in Laccasine. The
Taylor home was slightly damaged. George and Marie’s home in Cameron, about a block from the
school board office, was destroyed. After the storm, George and Marie found an apartment on
Highway 397. They have since purchased a home next door to Larry and Blackie. Jimmy and Mona
Kelly plan to go back to Cameron.

We had lunch Saturday with Mary Richard and Madeleine and Deanne Colligan in Lake Charles.
They had just discovered that one of the family’s feline pets, “CC”, had somehow gotten out of
her little makeshift enclosure and was nowhere to be seen. 
You can imagine how frightening it must have been for CC to be moved from her familiar
surroundings in Cameron, followed by further moving from one unfamiliar location to another:
Cameron, to Singer, to Lake Charles. This storm, with its continuing exodus, has surely been
traumatic for the pets. CC has not returned yet.

Next door to the Colligan/Richard home we visited Conway and Virgie LeBleu, and Sybil McCall.
When Virgie learned who had purchased the house next door, she said, “I think I’ve died and
gone to Heaven!” I suspect that when someone from Cameron moves into any neighborhood where
other Cameron Parish folks have settled, there is reason for rejoicing.

SONNY MCCALL
Virgie told us that Sonny and Janie McCall have purchased a home in Moss Bluff.

IDA BOUDREAUX
Dee Ann Boudreaux sent an e-mail regarding Mrs. J.H. (Ida) Boudreaux. She wrote: “My mother-
in-law, Ida Boudreaux is living with her son, Melvin and I in Buffalo, Tex. She will return to
live with her youngest son, Tommy and his wife, Nancy, in Spring Crossing subdivision in Lake
Charles when their home is completed.”

WADE CARROLL
We have news from Pam and Wade Carroll who are now in Rosepine in an old hunting camp that
they had moved up there several years ago. Their daughter, Lisa and her children are with
them, but Lisa’s husband, Darren is working in Iraq. Wade Jr. and his family are in Grand
Lake.
Pam writes: “We have been welcomed by the community. Many of the residents are Wade’s
relatives. My family is down the road in DeRidder.”
Former classmates at South Cameron Elementary will be happy to hear that Lisa and Darren’s
son, Ethan, is now playing football for the Rosepine Eagles. Recently, he asked his mom to
tell the cooks that the food was better at his other school. “There’s a feather in the cap of
the cafeteria staff in Creole!)
Pam goes on to say, “Laiken misses her friends at Headstart. She and her mom stay home and
take care of the woods while Wade and I are at work in Lake Charles. When I say woods, I mean
WOODS! But we see a lot of Cameron folks when we go for the Cameron mail.”
“We have Kelly Pump and Supply off of Highway 90,” she writes. “It’s a great place to visit
and we are thankful for the many that have come by. We miss our family at Oak Grove Baptist
Church and all the many friends through the years. Rosepine is not very big and we are about
five miles off the road. If you have an urge to see the country, come and see us.” Pam and
Wade Carroll’s email address is: pcarroll@kellypump. com.

LANA WILLIS
Several weeks ago Mary Arceneaux was searching for her cousin Lana Willis. Mary reports that
she has heard from Lana and that she is staying with her sister in Lake Charles.

DONNY LEDOUX
Mary said that Diane and Donny LeDoux of East Creole are staying at the Gulf Stream Manor
Trailer Park. They have no children of their own but were caring for six foster children
before the storm. Now there are only four, due to the circumstances. They have purchased a
double-wide mobile home.

VELMA MOCK
Velma Mock writes that she and her family are in Friendswood, Tex. “A very dear friend of
mine, Jennifer Fontenot, sent me a subscription after we relocated here and I eagerly await my
paper every week. The Cameron Pilot has been my little slice of Heaven after what we have
endured since evacuating from Cameron.” Fortunately, Velma was able to keep her job as her
company relocated to Galveston after Rita. Her sons, Cheyenne 15 and Lex, 13, are attending
school in Friendswood.
Velma writes, “Cheyenne is doing wonderful in school and says he wouldn’t mind staying in
Texas. Lex and I just want to go home. We have met some really nice people here, but our
hearts are in Louisiana. We miss everyone so much. When we are in the area and run into
someone from Cameron Parish, it is like Christmas!”
Prior to the storm, Velma and her children evacuated with their children; Carolyn and John
Brown; Carolyn’s children, Selena and Jerry Thompson; and Carolyn’s grandchildren. There were
14 in the group who evacuated together to Orange Beach, Ala. From there they went to Dauphin
Island where Mary Jim Brown, John’s mother, “was an angel to open her home to us.”
They eventually ended up at their townhouse in Friendswood and made it “as much like home” as
possible. The others in their group have gone to Grand Lake.
Velma asked about Mrs. Sue Buras who lived near them in Cameron. If you have news of Mrs.
Buras, please send it to the Column. Jimmy and I were also wondering how she fared after the
storm. Velma Mock’s address is: 107 Clearview Ave. #1007; Friendswood, Tx. 77546 or
vee4me@yahoo.com. Phone: 281-482-1193.

Please mail news to: 302 Trailwood Lane; Lafayette, La. 70508 or e-mail to nnadc67@aol.com.
Phone 337-988-5395.  NELL COLLIGAN 


The CAMERON PARISH PILOT- Weekly Publication
Jerry and Joy Wise, P.O. Drawer 1486, Cameron,La. 70631-8998