KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana |Rita cripples fishing industries

Rita cripples fishing industries

January 13, 2006
By Theresa Schmidt

The ride through Cameron Parish leaves no doubt in the minds of those on the tour-- that Hurricane Rita caused devastation as never seen before. Marinas, docks, ice and fuel are some of the most critical needs that must be met for fishing to come back. Mike Voison with the Louisiana Oyster Task Force says so much is at stake. "Billions of dollars, a way of life. When people come to South Louisiana, when the tourists come, they want to eat seafood. Their first three meals are seafood and then they get hungry for a steak. It's the energy of South Louisiana that drives this area."

A stop at Holly Beach hurts the hearts of all here. The visitors feel for those who've lost so much like Sonny and Loretta Meaux who lost their home and seafood business. It's difficult for Loretta to look at what used to be her home.  "All what you see here is my cement slab and my two palm trees are what's left of my home. We are coming home. We'll be alright. We're survivors. We're strong survivors."

The visit to Hackberry includes a stop at David Deere's seafood plant where they're just getting back up and running for oysters. "I don't even have my house back together because I've been down here trying to get the business back up. Right now we're getting geared up to buy oysters. We got with a buyer out of Texas who has furnished us with an eighteen wheeler reefer." Can't handle shrimp yet. Explains Deere, "I have twenty tons of ice machines here that none of those are running. And we have to have ice in the seafood business."

And you can find fishermen here like Eddie LeJuine and his wife Michelle who've lost home and livelihood. "Hurricane wiped out our house. The structure's still standing but the whole inside was destroyed, we're gutting it out. We're temporarily staying in a FEMA trailer, me and my husband and all of our teenaged children."

The trip is to create more awareness among those whose help is needed to rescue the businesses they say make up the backbone of Louisiana's restaurant and tourism industries. In all the bus tour lasted about five hours. Those attending included lawmakers from State Senate and House Committees on Natural Resources and the Senate and House Committees on Transportation, Highways and Public Works.  For more information on the seafood industry's struggle click here.