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 26, 2006



EAVES, MCDANIEL
This week we heard from Darla (Blanchard) Eaves. Darla writes that she and her family and her
mother-in-law, Vivian McDaniel, are doing fine and living in Colmesneil, Tex. They plan to
make Colmesneil their new home. (For those who may not be familiar with the area, Colmesneil
is 56 miles north of Beaumont on Hwy 69.)
Darla’s sons, Jared and Troy, would like to let their friends know that they are making new
friends in Colmesneil, but really miss their old friends in Johnson Bayou. They would love to
hear from you.


BLANCHARD
Darla’s parents, Leroy and Lorraine (Trahan) Blanchard have returned to Johnson Bayou and are
living at Timmy Trahan’s Trailer Park in FEMA trailer #1. Her brother, Farrell, is there too,
in trailer #5. Quentin is in Duson. He and Bonita are doing well and will move back to Johnson
Bayou soon.
Bobby, Darla’s son, and his family are living in Ragley and have bought a place there. Bobby
still works for Ace Trucking out of Cameron. Darla ends by saying they would love to hear from
their dear friends—how they are doing and where they are.


LARUE
Leslie and Vickie LaRue evacuated to Normangee, Tex., Leslie’s hometown. (Normangee is about
five hours from Cameron, on Hwy 45, north of Houston, Tex.) Leslie has found a new job and
they are in the process of trying to find a home. They are presently staying with Leslie’s
Mom. They are doing fine, miss all their friends and hope they are well.
Vickie writes: “We just couldn’t bring ourselves to go back after we saw what Rita did. We had
nothing to go back to.”
They, too, would love to hear from their friends, especially their former preacher, Brother
John. Vickie accidentally lost the number that he had given to Leslie before the storm. 


Jimmy and I had a wonderful visit with some of our Cameron friends Monday. We stopped at Grand
Lake High School and saw many of the Cameron Elementary and South Cameron Elementary, and
South Cameron High teachers.
It was so nice to see them going about their duties under the most unimaginable conditions,
sharing classrooms with Grand Lake High teachers... Every face had a smile on it. The train
was on its tracks and it was moving on! There was Matilda Gillikin, directing the unloading of
an 18 wheeler that was filled with school supplies for the Cameron Parish schools. As I said,
“it was business as usual.”
Among the people we saw were: Michelle Booth, Shirley Bonsall, Kathy Doxey Rowland, Zeek
Wainwright, Charlotte Hess, Darilyn Doxey Canik, Eva January, Ryan Nash, Pete Picou, Mary
Woodgett Didelot, Flora January, and Matilda. I’m sure there were others I am overlooking. It
was just so great to see them all together like that. It gave me a feeling that life is going
on, and that all of these Cameron Parish educators and employees will be wiser and stronger
for the experience, and so will the kids.
In Grand Lake we visited with Kathy Guilbeau and her mother, Betty Savoy who is now out of the
hospital. Betty was sitting up, feeling better and looking stronger. We laughed and talked,
just like old times. It was so good to see her this way following her grave illness. On our
way out we were greeted by the most beautiful goat I have ever seen, a pet of one of their
neighbors.
Kathy’s daughter, Michelle has a FEMA trailer in their yard. Jonathan’s FEMA trailer is right
next to Michelle’s. Father McGrath, the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Creole, has a FEMA
trailer right across the lane from the Guilbeau/Savoy family. Ladd and Jerri Wainwright live
on the next lane and their son is nearby.


CHERAMIE
We visited with Eldie Cheramie who just received her FEMA trailer this week. She has it parked
next to the home of her daughter, Toni Beth Boudreaux, in Grand Lake. Toni Beth’s son, Marcus,
has his FEMA trailer right next to Maw Maw Dees’. James and Toni Beth were in Lake Charles,
baby-sitting with Carrie’s six-week old twins.
I was very happy to finally see what a FEMA trailer looks like. They are certainly efficient,
with cupboards and drawers here and there to store things. Eldie was fortunate enough to get
one with a bathtub rather than a shower. This is somewhat of a luxury in these trying times.
This trailer has a three burner stove, a table booth to seat four, and a sofa that opens into
a bed. The refrigerator and sink are regular size. Next to the kitchen is a cubicle with a set
of bunk beds where two children could sleep. No doubt, these trailers will serve the purpose
for many until they decide what to do about going back home or building elsewhere.
Kathy Rowland invited us to visit the Gulf Stream Trailer Park soon, during a weekend day when
everyone is there. We’re looking forward to visiting them in the near future, and maybe we’ll
swing by the Joneses on Quinn Lane. Seeing all these friends today was like food for the soul!


That’s it for this week. Please send your news to: 302 Trailwood Lane; Lafayette, La. 70508.
E-mail to: nnadc67@aolcom. Phone: 337-988-5395.


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