In aftermath of Hurricane Laura, residents worry about help

Lake Charles (US): In a matter of hours last week, Hurricane Laura tore through the tire shop Layla Winbush's family started just under a year ago, reducing most of it to rubble and scattering hundreds of tires across the lot.

The storm also damaged her home, which now reeks of mold.

Federal and state officials are now on the ground to help residents with home repairs and hotel stays. But Winbush said she feels alone, particularly after seeing a video of President Donald Trump, who visited the area Saturday, joking with Gulf Coast officials that they could sell copies of his signature for USD 10,000.

We can't depend on the president. We can't depend on nobody, she said. We'll just take what we have and get it done.

As evacuated Lake Charles residents began returning home, many worried that they wouldn't have enough support from the both the federal and state governments as they face a rebuilding process certain to take several months, if not longer.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Sunday warned that residents were in for a long recovery.

We're going to be working really, really hard on the power outages, on the water systems, on the housing, he said at a news conference.

"But none of this is going to be easy. It's not going to happen as quickly as most people would like for sure. Crews were starting to take chain saws to fallen trees and patch roofs, but most homes in Lake Charles wrecked by the storm were still untouched.