TOMBALL, Texas – A Louisiana family that evacuated ahead of Hurricane Laura has spent the last few nights at a hotel in Tomball. But with funds running low, they don’t know how long they will be able to stay.
“We’re not sure what we’re going to do, to be honest with you,” said Delphine Dailey, of Welsh, La.
The family of nearly two dozen, including kids, left their homes in the Lake Charles area right before Laura arrived. They initially paid for hotel rooms in Austin, Dailey said. But with costs adding up, she said the Red Cross told her to head to a Hyatt in Houston.
They made the trip to the hotel but didn’t expect what happened next.
“The representative that was standing in front of me and said we have hundreds of people in the lobby, hundreds outside. We have no rooms. We’ve been out of rooms,” Dailey said.
The family found nine rooms at Staybridge Suites in Tomball.
“We’re running very low on funds at this time. Some of them are completely depleted,” Dailey said.
For now, returning home isn’t an option.
“We went back to view our homes and my home is a total loss,” said Dailey, who lives with her daughter.
They shared pictures of the home showing damage to the roof. Dailey said the homes of other family members are fixable, but currently without water and power.
The Red Cross told KPRC 2 that it contacted the family and made arrangements for shelter as they create a plan for recovery but Delphine said that’s not the case.
She said her daughter’s insurance company called to say it would pay for two rooms for 14 nights, but they are still trying to figure out how to pay for the rest by Tuesday afternoon.