BRENHAM HOTELS FILLED TO CAPACITY DURING HURRICANE LAURA EVACUATIONS

  

One week removed from the landfall of Hurricane Laura, Washington County officials say local hotels were booked to capacity with storm evacuees.

According to Faith Mission Executive Director Reverend Randy Wells, hotel rooms began filling up last Tuesday with families primarily from Beaumont, Orange, Lake Charles, and Shreveport.  Rev. Wells said of the approximately 619 rooms across 11 hotels in Brenham, all were filled.

Of the 619 families that evacuated to Brenham, Rev. Wells said only three requested assistance from Faith Mission.  The organization, which is the volunteer disaster agency for the City of Brenham and Washington County, offered its full range of services to evacuees that needed them.

 

Rev. Wells said most of the families stayed between two and three days before going back to their homes to assess the damage from the storm.  According to Rev. Wells, one family from Lake Charles had to come back after discovering a fallen tree had destroyed their house.  Faith Mission, which is also a member of the Brazos Valley Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), is currently assisting the family with any needs they may have.

The storm caused major destruction in Texas and Louisiana after coming ashore as a Category 4 hurricane last Thursday, ripping apart homes and businesses while leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without power.  The U.S. death toll from the storm was 19 as of Wednesday, with many deaths attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning from unsafe operation of generators.