It’s disappointing that when a city like Lake Charles gets demolished by a category four hurricane, the most attention they get from celebrities and the nation is from a confederate statue getting knocked down. The inhabitants of this city desperately need the immediate attention and help, and, right now, they aren’t getting enough.  

Usually, when a natural disaster of this magnitude strikes a big city, it gets a lot of attention. Petitions are made on GoFundMe and are quickly filled with donations. Tweets with #PrayFor(Insert City Here) are everywhere, and celebrities and businesses provide a huge amount of support.  

The freshest example of this would be the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in 2017. J.J Watt donated a million dollars, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The donations by businesses, including Macy’s and Mastercard, totaled over $157 million to help Houston and the surrounding areas.  

The most I’ve seen donated to the areas affected by Hurricane Laura is $25,000. I’m not saying that the donations for Harvey weren’t warranted in any sense, but why hasn’t Lake Charles gotten anywhere near the same support?  

Lake Charles will not be habitable for months at this rate. That’s almost 80,000 people forced to find somewhere else to live for the time being, and that’s not even including other areas affected such as Cameron and Beaumont.  

No celebrities have stepped up to raise money to rebuild Southwest Louisiana. The most recognition a celebrity gave the hurricane was Chance the Rapper saying “Ay bay bay” regarding a confederate statue being knocked down by the storm.  

Thanks, Chance. That really shows your support and inspires others to help the people of Louisiana.  

On the plus side, there has been some support for the cause. The City of Houston and World Central Kitchen are distributing food and supplies to those in need according to KHOU-11 and the Houston Chronicle.  

To whomever has given help and support to the areas affect by Hurricane Laura, thank you. It means a lot to see people who haven’t been as affected by this catastrophe putting focus into the cause.  

It’s been a terrible couple of days for hundreds of thousands in Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas. A lot of people are unsure about the future, especially the next month or two.  

Where do we go next? When will our city and houses be rebuilt? When will we be able to return home? These are questions the people involved are asking, and it seems all most people are focused on is a statue.  

Hopefully we’ll see more people show their support in the coming weeks because, right now, these areas need it more than ever. To anyone who shows or has shown their support, we greatly appreciate it, and God bless you.  

Henry Huber is a former Lake Charles resident. To donate to the Salvation Army’s relief efforts, click here.