LAKE CHARLES, La. — It's been more than a month since Hurricane Laura made landfall in Southwest Louisiana. Many have moved back to homes in pieces as they work to rebuild.
"It's actually in the roof," said Lake Charles resident Veronica Thomas about the tree in her home. "So it's a big gaping hole, a turbine fell out the house, big gaping hole there. My bedroom was flooded, my bathroom was flooded, the living room was flooded, kitchen was flooded."
She's still living there now.
"Carefully. Praying we don't fall through the floor in the bathroom," she said.
Even as she waits to hear from insurance, she's relieved to see workers taking the tree off her roof one month after the storm.
"Right now it's coming out of my pocket, which is not a lot," she said about the expenses for the work.
Trees also fell through Doris Lee's home.
"Puncturing my house, we have leaks everywhere. I'm not the only one, but it was startling to see something like that," Lee said.
The smell of mold fills one of her bedrooms, but she and her family are still living there.
"We just had to give up two bedrooms and we gave up the front part of the house so we're fine," Lee said.
They're cleaning up and see progress everyday, while living in these tree filled homes
While some homes are still unlivable, many people have returned home. Now 99 percent of Lake Charles has power restored and drinkable water. They've seen progress over the last month, but there is clearly a long way to go.