By Loston McEvers

A day to remember 64 years ago, as I came into the ready room at our 551st Missile Battalion, around midnight. My Army buddies were watching TV and they told me a storm hit the coast of Louisiana. As I watched, I realized it was Cameron Parish, and my mom and dad were in Grand Chenier. It took me a week to get in contact and yes, everything they and myself owned, along with everything my two sisters owned was gone. Also, more than 500 lives were gone, including my aunt. It was a hard thing to imagine.

I did get to go home and I worked with the Army, picking up bodies and other work. They let me stay a month then I had to return.

We’ve seen quite a few more hurricanes here in Cameron Parish and the coastal towns since then. Let’s hope we can get through 2021 without any damaging tropical storms or hurricanes. As I write this, we’re due rain for the next two weeks.