Rasha AridiScience’s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center and the Heising-Simons Foundation.It’s been an unimaginable year for residents of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
First came the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused at least 8700 cases in the community of 78,000 along the Gulf of Mexico. Then came two record-breaking hurricanes.
In late August, Hurricane Laura made landfall nearby, ultimately killing 77 people and leaving 46,000 homes damaged or destroyed, including many in Lake Charles.
Just 6 weeks later, in October, Hurricane Delta tore through the same area, leaving four dead. Residents of Lake Charles hadn’t even finished rebuilding from the first storm when the second arrived.Nobody hopes for such misfortune.