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CONVERSE, La. (KALB) - Severe weather rocked Central Louisiana on July 8, with one of the hardest hit areas being Converse in Sabine Parish.

KALB spoke with two residents in the area who are working to pick up the pieces after a suspected tornado.

James Brown, 85, has lived in his Converse home for eight years. He was there with his daughter and grandchildren when the wind started blowing really hard, followed by a tree falling over. There were several downed trees in Brown’s yard when KALB arrived. One fell on his house and two others damaged vehicles in the driveway. His house also suffered water damage due to that fallen tree.

Brown said he was not aware the storms were heading his way. As the head of the household, family was on his mind throughout the whole ordeal.

“Trying to get out of the house. We couldn’t get out the front, so we got out on the side, and we stayed together,” he said.

The need to protect the family during an emergency was echoed by his neighbor, Scott Carter. He said he received a frantic call from his mother, urging him to get to the trailer quickly. He said he would have moved Heaven and Earth to get to his mother, who was home alone when the suspected tornado rolled through.

“They tried to stop me up the road. But, I’ve got four-wheel drive,” he said.

Carter said his prayers were answered when he arrived to find his mother had made it through the storm. Though shaken up, both are happy to be alive. As for the trailer, Carter said he feels it was a total loss. Both he and his mother will be staying at his other residence.

The same cannot be said for Brown, who said he will likely stay put even with the damage to his home. He said he has no homeowner’s insurance.

Carter said he does have insurance on his trailer but has little faith in the insurance process.

Either way, it is going to be a tough rebuilding process for both families.

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