Nathan Bellard was outside when his neighbor’s roof ripped off their trailer. He says he immediately called 911, concerned that someone was hurt.
“We take care of our family around here,” says Bellard. “We’re like family all around here.”
Inside the trailer, Magon Broussard and her son Wyatt were waiting out the storm. The two were in the living room when Broussard says she heard the wind whipping at her home.
“I just heard a whole bunch of noise like it was going to take my trailer,” says Broussard. “And then I ran to get him.”
Once the wind stopped, Broussard says she looked outside and saw her roof on top of their vehicles. The damage, Broussard believes, came from straight-line winds, not a tornado.
And Broussard says she’s thanking God that she and her son made it through the event without being hurt.
“It was scary,” she says. “what could have happened? It’s something I’ve never been through and don’t want to go through again.”
Broussard says that now that the damage has been done, her main concern is the rain which began pouring into her home. Her fear is that the exposed insulation is absorbing all of the water and will lead to mold.
“it’s just not safe for anybody.”
Broussard and her son, however, aren’t facing the damage alone. Their community has stepped up to help. Neighbors and family helped to place a tarp over the home to protect it from further rains.
“It makes me feel good because I know where I come from,” she says. “Kaplan is a small town, but we all help each other.”
And during the height of the storm, little Wyatt told his mom that everything would be okay.
For now, the Broussards are staying with family until they figure out what’s next.
