Author: Dan Clouser

When we first arrived at Sam Houston Jones State Park in Lake Charles, Louisiana, we could see that the park had been severely damaged by the two hurricanes that came through the area back in the late summer of 2020.  We were told that 90% of the trees in the park had been destroyed.  Although I had heard that statistic many times since the project had started, I’m not sure that it really hit me until that short ride with Lori.

Even with every time that one of the churches or community groups would come in to feed us, the people would all tell us the same thing.  Yet still, I don’t think that I was really able to comprehend the extent of damage until I heard it from Lori.  Not that I didn’t believe the other people from the community.  I guess it’s just that when you hear it from someone near and dear to you, it’s only then that it really hits home.  The raw emotion of the moment is something that I won’t soon forget.