Last week, Hurricane Laura hit the Gulf Coast of the United States as a Category 4 storm with winds of 155 mph—one of the strongest to ever make landfall in the state of Louisiana. Now close to a week later, 300,000 people are still without power, water is not expected to be back for weeks, and families have no access to fresh food. 

Chef José & team serving thousands of meals after Hurricane Laura

WCK’s Relief Team tracked the storm as it approached, setting up to prepare meals as soon as the hurricane passed and it was safe to do so. Staging and stocking kitchens on each side of the hurricane, we had one team in Beaumont, Texas, and another in Lafayette, Louisiana. At the same time, WCK chef Kyle Pounders headed toward Louisiana with our Mobile Relief Kitchen. 

Hurricane Laura passed through southern Louisiana and Texas in the very early morning hours on Thursday. As soon as the sun was up and the storm had moved north, our kitchen at Regina Howell Elementary in Beaumont, Texas got to work. 

Danielle and Charlie have been leading WCK’s COVID response effort in New Orleans since April. As our teams across the country mobilized to prepare for Hurricane Laura, the pair drove into Texas to get the kitchen going. We prepared a combination of fresh sandwiches and hot meals to be taken into the locations that sustained the most damage just hours after the storm passed. 

City workers in Port Arthur, Texas have been working around the clock to clean up debris and restore services for the community. Mayor Thurman Bartie told us, “We so appreciate WCK and what they’re doing for us…and the food is warm!”

The eye of Hurricane Laura tore directly through Sulphur, Louisiana, a city of about 20,000 residents in the southwestern corner of the state. The morning after the storm hit, WCK’s Josh Phelps checked in with first responders at East Side Fire Station, bringing lunch while getting information on needs for food moving forward. Our kitchen in Beaumont continues to provide teams here with nourishing meals every day. 

About a 20-minute drive east of Sulphur is Lake Charles, a larger city devastated by the storm. Nearly all of the city’s residents are still without power and running water, making access to fresh food almost impossible.  Meals in hand, our team followed the Cajun Navy, a Louisiana-based relief organization, as they carried out search and rescue missions in badly damaged neighborhoods. 

While going door to door in Lake Charles, we met Ray. He and his wife have cats so they were hesitant to leave before the hurricane. They ended up getting out at 7pm, just before the storm hit, and now he's back to clean up the damage.

In Lake Charles, our team met Gerald. Gerald has limited mobility and stayed in Lake Charles through the storm. He’s 29 years old and told us that Hurricane Laura was worse than Rita, a Category 5 storm that hit in 2005. His roof collapsed on him as the walls pushed in. We also met Farrah and her husband Billy. They moved into their apartment 8 months ago after being homeless, and don't know where they will go next.

With the most widespread damage and need for relief being in Lake Charles, we set up our mobile kitchen in a large parking lot in the city, cooking thousands of fresh meals every day. In addition to delivering the food to first responders and into severely damaged neighborhoods, WCK is operating this location as a drive-up site where anyone in need can come to get food for their families.

At this meal distribution site, we met Serenity, her mother, and sister who are long-time residents of Lake Charles. The family was able to enjoy a hot meal and some bottled water. They’re feeling lucky that their home was only knocked onto a slant, while most the homes in their neighborhood blew over completely.

Kavin came to Lake Charles from Houston to help clean up debris from the storm. Having previously worked in forestry, Kavin has been doing tree removal for 20 years. We served him a plate of braised beef with balsamic Brussels and taters from Chef Kyle.

WCK teams in both Lake Charles and Beaumont are relying on the help of the local community to prepare thousands of meals each day. At our meal distribution site in Lake Charles, Saretta and Jessica—who are both with the Cajun Navy—joined WCK to help plate meals. Saretta’s been with the Cajun Navy for six years, and told us she strives to set a good example for her children through volunteering. 

Over in Beaumont at Regina Howell Elementary, local volunteers have joined in to make sandwiches, plate up hot meals, and help load finished dishes for delivery. The school’s principal Kim Janeaux is even working the line, and Tory Fobbs, Regina Howell’s Cafeteria Manager, is in the kitchen!

"I love to cook! So whenever there's an opportunity to do what I love and help those that are on the front lines of a catastrophe...count me in!" says Tory.

Across both kitchens, WCK Chefs are putting special care into the meals they’re cooking. A few favorites include Mojo smoked pork with Brussels sprouts and cilantro over garlic mashed potatoes; Danielle’s jambalaya made with sausage, okra, collard greens, and rice medley; and Kyle’s chicken teriyaki served over rice.

WCK’s Relief Team will continue to serve nutritious, comforting meals for families impacted by Hurricane Laura. For real-time updates, follow WCK on  Twitter and Instagram. To volunteer with our team on the ground, sign up here. 

Last week, Hurricane Laura hit the Gulf Coast of the United States as a Category 4 storm—one of the strongest to ever make landfall in the state of Louisiana. Now close to a week later, many families near the coast are still without power, water, or access to fresh food. Cooking from two kitchens, WCK is serving thousands of nourishing meals to residents.

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