A family from Cypress Island, Louisiana, near Lafayette, relocated to Lubbock this week, to stay with family until flood waters recede.
Jacob Vicknair, his mother and grandmother, have lived on the family’s property in Cypress Island all of their lives. Vicknair said his family has owned the property for generations, and several other family members live on the land also.
Last week, parts of south Louisiana received 8 to 12 inches of rain, with several areas experiencing flash flooding. The rain continued this week killing 11 people, damaging 40,000 homes and forcing 30,000 people to evacuate.
“When I first woke up that morning I could see all the water that came through my window in my room,” Vicknair said. “As the day went on it got worse and worse, and then we just had to go.”
Vicknair packed up his family and made the 750 mile trip to Lubbock, to stay with his uncle Joey. In the rush, Vicknair forgot something.
“All my clothes,” Vicknair said. “I had what I wore and like one pair of jeans and that was it.”
Money is tight for the Vicknairs at the moment, so Jacob’s mother made a post on social media detailing their troubles. Several west Texans answered.
“But they had some really nice people that came and donated some clothes to me,” Vicknair said. “Because I really needed it. A guy named Andy Perez, he really helped me out. He gave me so much clothes, more than I could ever really need. Miranda Gomez also helped.”
Now Vicknair’s focus has turned to getting a job. He worked for an Air Conditioning and Heating Company back home and would like to return to his job one day. But his mother had open heart surgery less than a year ago and he wants to help his uncle make money to help support his family.
After earning some extra money, Vicknair plans to move his 17-year-old sister Courtney to Lubbock as well. He said she is a high school senior who did not want to start her final year at a new school, so she stayed back with family. But Vicknair said Courtney is not safe, and it could be quite sometime before they get back home.
