2months after hurricanes, residents still hurting

LAKE CHARLES, LA. » As southwest Louisiana recovers from the back- to- back hurricanes that hammered the region this year, signs of progress compete with lingering evidence ofmass destruction.

The fallen trees that carpeted neighborhoods have mostly been chopped up and hauled away, but the roofs they devoured are still covered in blue tarps. Piles of debris still line the roads.

Aid efforts after Laura and Delta have only garnered about 25% of the volunteers and donations as other storms affecting the region, such as 2005’s Hurricane Rita, said Denise Durel, president and CEO of the United Way of Southwest Louisiana.