I had no idea that when I left Lake Charles a week ago to head back to Baton Rouge for school, I would never return to the same Lake Charles. I am both sickened and restless, scrolling through pictures and looking for a good sign, but finding no indication that anything was left unscathed.  

Everything has happened so fast. It feels like only yesterday that Marco had died down, and Hurricane Laura was only a category one hurricane. The storm grew rapidly, drawing comparisons to Hurricane Rita, which hit the same area in 2005, and then eclipsing it.  

It wasn’t until Wednesday morning that I fully grasped how devastating this storm could be.  

I’ve seen a lot of different hurricanes affect different places in different ways. My feelings for the places and people impacted by storms such as Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Sandy were ones of horror and sympathy, but I could never imagine what they were going through until now. 

Hurricane Laura made landfall early Thursday as a high-end category four hurricane, one of the worst storms to ever hit the United States. It touched down in Cameron Parish, a parish that is just below Calcasieu Parish, where Lake Charles is located.  

With wind speeds around 150 miles per hour and an “unsurvivable” storm surge, Hurricane Laura ravaged multiple cities in Texas and Southwest Louisiana, impacting hundreds of thousands of people. The biggest fears of many residents were realized when the storm cleared.   

Many places I have memories of, such as Ryan Street, Prien Lake Road, the Capital One building and my own high school, are all in shambles. I had no idea how I would ever react in a situation like this, but at the moment I feel numb, fearful and bewildered.  

It’s impossible to grasp the reality of this situation, even when you’re staring right into the eyes of it. Watching the videos of the damage and devastation and having to come to terms with the fact that this is your home doesn’t feel real.  

At the time of writing this, I have no idea what the fate of my home is. Not knowing whether my house is still standing or not is something I never thought I would experience, but I am holding on to hope that it’s okay.  

I pray that all the places impacted by this storm can recover as quickly as possible, and that relief efforts are swift and successful. It’s difficult to imagine the future and how this will affect these places in the long run, but with help and unification, we can overcome this.