Hurricane evacuees shelter in Lake Charles as Ida makes landfall
LAKE CHARLES, LA - The town of Lake Charles dodged the worst of Hurricane Ida.
And as the category 4 hurricane made landfall Sunday afternoon, several families from Southeast Louisiana sheltered in Lake Charles for safety.
"Material is material," said Olivia Himeo. "You can always replace it."
RELATED: Hurricane Ida makes landfall as strong Category 4 storm with winds near 150 mph
Himeo and Justin Lovell spent Sunday at the beach in Lake Charles. They evacuated from Morgan City.
"It’s following the same track as some other storms," added Lovell. "We’re predicting to get some damage for sure."
MORE: Hurricane Ida hits Louisiana as one of most powerful hurricanes to strike US
The category 4 hurricane made landfall with 150 mph winds. The powerful storm is expected to move north into Louisiana and Mississippi.
"I don’t want no part of that," said Mark James from Baton Rouge. "I’ve got my camper. I came over here to make sure I have a place to stay when I go back."
RELATED: Hurricane Ida hits Louisiana on anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
Much of Lake Charles is still rebuilding from the 2020 hurricane season. Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Delta both caused significant damage to the community.
"Last year for Laura, we actually lost our house totally," said Mickey Taylor. "We didn’t want to take any chance this time."
MORE: Louisiana evacuees head to Houston as Hurricane Ida approaches the coast
Until Saturday, Lake Charles remained in the forecast "cone of uncertainty" for Hurricane Ida. Taylor decided to leave and take shelter in Katy, TX just in case.
"When we left this morning, it hadn’t move as far east yet," said Taylor. "We’re hoping we might be okay now."