Homeowners in Haughton, Louisiana, are starting to gut their homes. Generators hum in driveways.
The water line inside Susan Ouellette’s home in the Tall Timbers neighborhood is four feet. She watched Wednesday as about a dozen volunteers from Lowe’s and Samaritan’s Purse hauled out all the contents of her home to the curb. Ouellette says her family had minutes to escape eight days ago in hip deep water.
“In 10 minutes, we got the three dogs, the cat in a plastic tub, and everybody in their pajamas barefoot at the door ready to walk out. There was no watching the water rise. It was here in no time, no time. It was run,” Ouellette said.
The mother of three has lived here 18 years. The home flooded twice in 1999 – not nearly to this extent. She says a nearby levee was built and that helped. But the cost of her flood insurance went through the roof and she dropped it. This time, her sheetrock is soggy almost up to six feet.
“It’s all got to come out, all the way to the ceiling. I won’t rebuild here if I can help it. If I can get a FEMA buyout I’m gone. I’m done. I’m so done,” Ouellette said.
Ouellette says many of her neighbors, whose homes also took on water like this, are feeling the same way.
