JEAN LAFITTE, La. — In Jean Lafitte, one man claims he is still living the dream despite losing most of his belongings during Barry. We introduced you to Jimmy 'Hound Dog' Chaisson a few days ago as he was getting ready for the storm from his house boat.
"God's country throws a lot at you, you'll have your challenges," he said. "I live off the land, on the water and I'll always have it that way."
Chaisson has lived on his boat in Jean Lafitte for two decades.
"You just buckle down and hope for the best," he said, as he's faced many storms. "It come in so damn fast, God it came in fast."
Despite that, he still chooses life on his boat.
"I chose this life I'd rather live out here than live in some old neighborhood somewhere," he said.
He was prepared to ride out Barry from his home.
"If I didn't stay with my boat this time, I would have lost it easy. I would have lost it 10 times if I wasn't here. I got to save my home, this is my home," he said.
It was a rougher ride than he anticipated.
"It blew my boat so hard this rope right here was so tight you couldn't have bent it to save your life. The windows were rattling, the boat was going up and down," he said.
He was left with more damage and loss than he bargained for.
"See that ice chest? I'm living off that ice chest right now," Chaisson showed us.
He lives off the land and managed to keep some of his seafood.
"Got a propane stove, generator, I'll make it," he said. "I'll cook some crab and celebrate that I'm still living."
He lost most of his belongings.
"Washer, dryer, freezer, two ice box freezers, everything in the shed, but I got my boat. That's all I need. Still living," he said.
It's happened before.
"Oh God, so many times," he said.
Every time though, he finds a way to build his life back up again
"Somehow, someway it will. Pray in Jesus name it's going to come," he said about getting new essentials. "I'll find it on the side of the road fix it. I don't care."