Louisiana
For these 3 Southwest Louisiana households, storm recovery struggles continue
Terra Hillman replaces a propane tank on the camper trailer where she’s lived since Hurricane Laura damaged her Lake Charles house in 2020. (Chris Vinn for Louisiana Illuminator)
LAKE CHARLES — Sheriff’s deputies accompanied Federal Emergency Management Agency workers to Terra Hillman’s fenced-in property Jan. 29. They were there to remove the camper she’s lived in since Hurricane Laura plowed through her home in August 2020.
Hillman’s is one of three households in Calcasieu Parish who still need temporary shelter as they struggle to rebuild after the historic 2020 hurricane season. Their personal stories reveal gaps that remain in the disaster recovery process, even as the area sees a boom in multifamily housing construction.
FEMA set a Feb. 28 deadline to remove the remaining trailers from Calcasieu Parish, though the agency did not respond to questions about why it went to Hillman’s property a month early.
When FEMA arrived at her property, Hillman entered her damaged house and would not speak with officials except to request they leave. About an hour later, they left without taking the temporary trailer.
Damage to Hillman’s home has made it difficult for her to repair. Her insurance company initially paid to repair her roof but denied the rest of her damage claims, including home leveling costs, which she said came to more than $300,000. But after her insurance company filed for bankruptcy, Hillman received no additional reimbursements. Court records show she’s suing the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association to recoup her losses.
“I’ve tried to re-tarp it [the roof] a few times myself because nobody else would do it because it’s dangerous …” Hillman said. “The weather around here just makes a joke of the tarps and stuff, and so the water just pours in half the house.”
Tarps cover the damage Hurricane Laura inflicted in 2020 upon Terra Hillman’s home in Lake Charles. (Chris Vinn for Louisiana Illuminator.
Reached last week, Hillman said she was still living in her trailer while repairs to her home continue. A freak winter ice storm in February 2021 damaged her plumbing, adding to the fixes needed.
Hillman applied for help from Restore Louisiana, the program providing federal grants for homeowners affected by natural disasters in 2020-21. She was initially awarded $19,000 but appealed the award amount. She has since been approved for $325,000 to cover the full demolition and rebuild. However, she said the process has been slow.
Restore Louisiana program’s deadline for issuing grant award agreements was Nov. 1, 2024.
The Louisiana Office of Community Development, which oversees the program, has closed over 13,000 grant agreements, obligating more than $1.06 billion, spokesman Marvin McGraw told the Illuminator.
“Of the 20,803 submitted applications, 99.9% of grant award determinations have been completed, with only 12 homeowners awaiting a final award decision,” McGraw said.
The program expects to finalize any outstanding awards by March 31, he added.
“At this stage, all homeowners have been notified of their program status, and any remaining delays are likely due to missing documentation or unmet program requirements,” McGraw said.
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Financial hardships hinder recovery
Before it was removed from her property, Diana Betters lived in a FEMA trailer in south Lake Charles, outside of city limits. She shared it with six other family members since her manufactured home sustained storm damage in 2020 that included busted pipes and a mold infestation visible around holes in the roof, walls and floors.
“I don’t know how much mold has built up. We’ve been buying the mold stuff and spraying and scrubbing,” Betters said.
Despite efforts to secure more permanent housing after the storms, she faced credit checks and financial hurdles, including a $650 sewer repair.
Betters said she was awarded $75,000 from Restore Louisiana.
“I went and looked at the double-wide homes, and they want $149,000,” Betters said. “What I’m gonna do with it? Well, it’s a down payment, then the rest gonna fall on me. I already have a mortgage” for the damaged home.
Betters said she turned down housing options in nearby Sulphur and Iowa because she didn’t want her 11-year-old granddaughter to change schools. She considered two apartments near McNeese State University but didn’t qualify for a lease because of her low credit score.
According to documents Hillman and Betters received from FEMA and shared with the Illuminator, their trailer rents increased in January, with residents subjected to additional penalties should they continue to live in them beyond February.
Hillman said her $50 monthly rent increased to $200 in January, but she was unsure of what fees she would owe for continuing to live in her trailer past Feb. 28. Betters said her rent rose from $359 to more than $700 in 2024.
Despite the Feb. 28 deadline, FEMA representatives showed up at Betters’ property Jan. 30 and ordered her family to vacate the trailer. As the family packed their belongings, contract workers started removing the trailer skirting to prepare it for removal. But just as they had at Hillman’s home, FEMA workers left the property without the trailer when reporters with the Illuminator and KPLC-TV arrived.
Betters told the Illuminator FEMA officials returned without warning the next day to remove the trailer. She and her family are now back to living in their hurricane-damaged home while they save for something new.
“We’re bunched up in here like sardines,” Betters said, explaining that she’s using some rooms in her damaged home for storage space.
FEMA would not answer specific questions about Betters or Hillman but said in an email that its Direct Housing Mission program ended Feb. 28. When a move-out is completed, FEMA said its campers are “not typically removed from the property on the same day.
Ceiling damage is visible in a section of Terra Hillman’s home in Lake Charles that Hurricane Laura damaged in 2020. (Chris Vinn for Louisiana Illuminator)
Nearly 20 years of disputes
Sulphur resident Ronnie Hossain has lived in FEMA trailers since 2005, when Hurricane Rita leveled the southwest corner of Louisiana. He has been involved in a lengthy dispute with local officials over rebuilding his storm-damaged home, and FEMA put his trailer on its removal list with the two others left over from the 2020 storms.
Hossain said his FEMA trailer was scheduled for repossession for 9 a.m. Jan. 31. However, no one from FEMA arrived when the time came. He attributes the no-show to reporters who were present during previous removal attempts earlier that week.
Hossain claims FEMA wrongly accused him of violations in an attempt to force him out of his temporary housing and that local officials have been unhelpful, further complicating efforts to rebuild his home. He also said that FEMA cited him for failing to meet with a caseworker, but he alleges no caseworker has ever visited his property.
Hossain said he had been paying rent for the FEMA trailer, which recently increased from $225 to $475 per month. Now, he claims, FEMA is demanding $1,600 in rent, an amount he says is unreasonable.
Sulphur Mayor Mike Danahay said Hossain has been entangled in zoning and permitting issues since Hurricane Rita. He has violated city ordinances by having multiple structures on a lot zoned for one single-family dwelling, according to the mayor.
Hossain said the trailer he had been living in since Rita was damaged during Hurricane Laura in 2020. FEMA replaced it, and he removed the original one from his property six months ago.
Hossain has yet to move into his house, and Danahay says he has repeatedly failed to meet deadlines for completing construction. The mayor said Hossain had electrical and plumbing work done without the necessary permits, which has prevented city inspectors from ensuring the home meets safety standards. Despite years of attempted cooperation, officials eventually had to start enforcing ordinances, Danahay said.
The mayor maintains the city’s goal is compliance, not punishment.
“I think we’ve been more than patient with this gentleman to get his house in order so he can move back in,” Danahay stated. “All we are asking him to do is complete the house and do it right to ensure safety.”
Hossein told the Illuminator he has permits to work on the house.
Hossain was locked out of his FEMA trailer Feb. 23, and it was removed from the property March 3, he said. Additionally, he claims FEMA sent a notice to the Internal Revenue Service to garnish more than $1,600 from his monthly income.
He said has been in contact with Restore recently to renegotiate the terms of his grant to continue rebuilding his house.
Multifamily construction boom replacing damaged housing stock
Hurricanes Laura and Delta took dead aim at southwest Louisiana and damaged approximately 44,000 homes, according to a 2020 study. About half of the Calcasieu Parish housing stock was impacted.
More than 750 damaged homes in Lake Charles have either been repaired or rebuilt since 2020, city spokeswoman Katie Harrington said. Additionally, more than 900 new multi-family units have come online or are in the process of being developed.
Woodring Apartments in downtown Lake Charles just marked its grand opening and offers affordable rates for qualifying tenants. Construction is well underway at the 72-unit Calcasieu Heights and Capstone at the Oaks, with 120 apartments. Both properties are intended for senior housing.
Mid-City Lofts, a 46-unit mixed income development, is under construction on a portion of what was once the Lloyd Oaks Housing Development. What’s left of Lloyd Oaks is also being redeveloped.
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Louisiana
Louisiana police arrest third suspect in Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano’s hotel death

Louisiana police have arrested a third suspect in connection with Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano’s hotel room murder.
Manzano, a 27-year-old Kansas City, Missouri-based Telemundo sports reporter, was in New Orleans on assignment to cover Super Bowl LIX. He was found dead with Xanax in his system in his room at the Comfort Suites hotel in Kenner, Louisiana, on the morning of Feb. 5.
Officials said his death was caused by the combined toxic effects of Xanax and alcohol, noting that he had been found “face-down in a pillow with no lividity around his nose and mouth.” Since then, Kenner police have arrested so-called “Bourbon Street Hustler” Danette Colbert, 48, and her accused accomplice, Ricky White, in connection with Manzano’s death,
On Friday, Kenner police also announced the arrest of Christian Anderson, 33, a New Orleans resident, for his alleged involvement in the plot that led to Manzano’s death.
LOUISIANA POLICE ANNOUNCE UPDATE IN ‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ CASE AFTER SUPER BOWL REPORTER’S DRUG DEATH
Ricky White, left, Danette Colbert and Christian Anderson have all been charged in connection with the robbery scheme that led to sports reporter Adan Manzano’s death. (Kenner PD)
Colbert was nicknamed the “Bourbon Street Hustler” on social media due to her lengthy past targeting men in the French Quarter and stealing their money. She is accused of similar crimes in Las Vegas. Authorities believe she, White and Anderson conspired to drug Manzano and then steal his credit cards before authorities found him dead.
Colbert and Manzano “met in the French Quarter, probably in the wee hours of the morning,” Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley previously told Fox News Digital.
SUPER BOWL REPORTER DEAD IN LOUISIANA HOTEL HAD XANAX IN SYSTEM AFTER ‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ MEETUP: POLICE

Telemundo reporter Adan Manzano was seen entering the Comfort Suites hotel with theft suspect Danette Colbert just before his death. (Kenner Police Department/ Telemundo)
“They came back to the hotel that was in the city of Kenner about 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 5, at which time we do have surveillance video from the lobby of the hotel showing them going into [Manzano’s] room around that time,” Conley said. “Then [Colbert] came out, ran to the store, came back about 30 minutes later, and within 10 or 15 minutes, she left the room. And he was never seen again on any video other than when he went into the room. So, she was the last one to be with him.”
Detectives found that one of Manzano’s credit cards was missing while processing his hotel room, Conley told reporters during a news conference on Feb. 8. Authorities then obtained a search warrant allowing them to track the locations where the credit card was used after Manzano was found, which led them to Colbert.
NEW ORLEANS ‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ SUSPECT IN SUPER BOWL REPORTER DEATH MAY BE TIED TO 2ND FATALITY: POLICE

Kenner police described Colbert as a “career criminal.” (Kenner PD)
White is facing various charges, including simple robbery and multiple counts of fraud. He was later charged with murder in connection with Manzano’s death.
Authorities have also obtained an arrest warrant for Anderson for principal to simple robbery, purse snatching, access device fraud, illegal transmission of monetary funds, bank fraud and computer fraud. He is currently detained at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center alongside Colbert and White, Kenner police said.
LOUISIANA HOTEL SURVEILLANCE SHOWS SUPER BOWL REPORTER WITH ‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ JUST BEFORE DEATH

Adan Manzano was on assignment at the Super Bowl in New Orleans. (Telemundo Kansas City)
“Evidence gathered through search warrants, text message records, and digital communications revealed that Anderson, along with previously arrested suspects Danette Colbert and Rickey White, played an active role in a coordinated pattern of targeting victims, drugging them, and stealing personal property, including phones and financial account access,” Kenner police said in a Friday press release.
“Detectives discovered that the vehicle used by Danette Colbert on the day of Manzano’s death had been rented by Christian Anderson, and further evidence showed that Anderson provided logistical support, engaged in post-crime communication, and assisted in attempts to financially benefit from the victim’s stolen assets.”
‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO SUPER BOWL REPORTER’S DEATH LINKED TO LAS VEGAS DRUGGING
Records also allegedly show that “Anderson and Colbert communicated extensively following the incident, and that he played a role in the group’s recurring criminal behavior,” Kenner police said.

Adan Manzano covered the Kansas City Chiefs. (Telemundo Kansas City)
Colbert was recently sentenced to serve 25 years in prison for crimes unrelated to Manzano’s death, including theft, computer fraud and illegal transmission of monetary funds stemming from a 2024 case.
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Police are asking anyone with information about Colbert to come forward. Some victims, Conley said, do not speak up, due to the sensitive nature of the suspect’s alleged crimes.
Authorities executed a search warrant at Colbert’s address after identifying her as a potential suspect in connection with Manzano’s death and said they had located a stolen gun that did not appear to be related to Manzano’s death and narcotics.
Louisiana
City to close problem hotel along Louisiana Friday

The Barcelona Suites off Louisiana seems to be the latest problem property on the city’s radar.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Barcelona Suites off Louisiana seems to be the latest problem property on the city’s radar.
Cops were seen going in and out of rooms on the property around 10 a.m. Thursday morning.
This wouldn’t be the first hotel to run into issues, the city recently closed some hotels off Coors and Illif.
The city’s Planning Department told KOB 4 this was an announced inspection, they posted 24-hour notices on the property Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, Code Enforcement and APD conducted the inspection, ultimately decided to close the hotel by 2 p.m. Friday.
Residents near the Barcelona suites on Louisiana are breathing a sigh of relief.
“There has been so many activities going down the last couple of years, it has just gotten worse and worse. Shootings, stabbings, drug activity all hours of the day,” said Wendy Tafoya, a nearby Resident.
“It’s the best thing ever, I feel a great relief,” said Mickie Johnson, a fellow nearby resident.
Tafoya said all the commotion Thursday morning at the problem hotel was hard to miss. Then an Albuquerque police officer knocked on her door to deliver the news.
“This morning, we noticed that there was a bunch of police and police activity then one of the officers came and told us that what they were doing is they were going to shut that building down because it has become a nuisance,” she said.
We spoke to multiple residents who say their neighborhood association has been trying to get the hotel on the city’s radar, but the work doesn’t stop here.
“My concern is what are they going to do next,” said another resident who did not want to be on camera.
While the hotel is shutting down, they worry that won’t solve the issue of homelessness in the community.
“I have mixed emotions about the motel because I know that it is not kept good. My feeling is they will congregate there, there is no doubt about that. Demolishing it, maybe. Unless there is a good owner who says in writing that they are going to fix it up,” said the resident.
The city said this was a large operation. We are expecting to hear more from the planning department and city leaders Friday afternoon after the hotel closes.
Louisiana
Top prosecutor says 2 remaining New Orleans jail escapees may be in other cities: “They can’t hide forever”

Two inmates — Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves — who were among 10 people who escaped from a New Orleans jail nearly two weeks ago may be in other cities, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told CBS News in an interview on Wednesday.
Eight of the 10 Orleans Parish Prison inmates have been recaptured after their May 16 jailbreak went unnoticed for hours. Some of them were found within the city’s famous French Quarter and others elsewhere within the state of Louisiana, but two of them were found in Texas following extensive surveillance efforts by the U.S. Marshals, authorities said Tuesday.
Attorney General Murrill said the escapees’ primary networks are based in New Orleans, and the high-profile case makes it tougher for them to walk around without being noticed.
“They can keep running, but they can’t hide forever,” Murrill said, adding that she’s confident the two who are still on the run will be taken into custody.
Investigations into what Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called the worst jailbreak in recent state history are ongoing, with at least 13 people arrested in connection with the breakout.
The state’s top prosecutor said there are several factors that led to the escape, including the court system, jail staffing and infrastructure issues. A high-priority problem, Murrill added, is the issue of slow-moving criminal cases in the district’s court system, which she says has led to overcrowding at the facility.
Although one-third of the jail’s security cameras weren’t working at the time, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, one surveillance video captured several inmates forcing open a cell door at about 12:22 a.m. CDT and breaching a wall behind the cell’s toilet. At around 1 a.m., video showed, the inmates fled the building through a nearby loading dock, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The escape went unnoticed by the sheriff’s office until approximately 8:30 a.m. that day. At the time of the escape, no sheriff’s deputy was assigned to the area where the inmates initiated the jailbreak.
The sheriff’s office also said last week that locks on the cells were defective and the escapees were housed in that particular unit due to ongoing renovations at their previous unit, including new locks being installed.
Murrill, who visited the jail on Tuesday, said that one unit has had all hinges and locks replaced, while another 160 cells need to have the same work done.
“I think that there is hardening that needs to happen at that facility that’s just physical changes to things like light bulbs and locks that needs to happen,” Murrill said Wednesday. “But at the end of all this, you really have to be able to efficiently move cases, or you’re still going to have a continuing problem with a violent population that’s there for a very long time, and will continue to beat up and exploit any kind of weakness they can find in that facility.”
In a post on X, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office announced “significant flooding” problems at the jail following the escape, writing, “despite emergency repairs over the weekend, the plumbing challenges still remain, and water is continuing to accumulate in parts of the facility.”
The sheriff’s office added, “OPSO is working to bring in an external water supply to temporarily accommodate the plumbing issue.”
On Wednesday afternoon, inmates at the facility yelled out to CBS News cameras outside the facility, “we need water.”
The attorney general said she has spoken with the sheriff about those issues, as well.
The dysfunction at the correctional facility dates back generations. In 1970, a federal judge declaring its overcrowding to be unconstitutional in 1970. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina stranded inmates in chest-high water and left the jail without power. In 2013, a video showed inmates using drugs, drinking beer and brandishing a gun.
Issues continued even after the 2015 opening of the state-of-the-art Orleans Justice Center, which houses nearly 1,400 inmates. There were major issues with the building from the outset, including a lack of supervision and adequate housing for mentally ill inmates, The Associated Press reported.
Following the escape nearly two weeks ago, Gov. Landry ordered the removal of all remaining state Department of Corrections prison inmates from the facility.
The Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams also vocalized concerns about the sheriff’s office’s ability to securely conduct business, telling CBS News in an interview Monday night he plans to request for a private security detail to temporarily secure the New Orleans courthouse.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who oversees the jail, said she “takes full accountability” for the escape. She also announced she was temporarily suspending her reelection campaign, saying, in part: “Now is the time to focus on security, accountability, and public safety.”
When asked what policy changes need to happen to ensure another jailbreak doesn’t happen, Murrill said: “I think that jail officials know the population at their jail, and they know whether that it’s suitable for the population that they have.”
She added that everyone in the community needs to be paying attention and “participates in insisting that the leadership, the facility, and the court system are all doing their part to protect us and to move these cases through.”
contributed to this report.
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