BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Hurricane Francine hit Louisiana on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Even though it happened over a month ago, one Livingston Parish family is still recovering from the storm.

Joshua Duplantis, his wife and 4-year-old daughter are devastated after they lost their home and two cars during Hurricane Francine.

“When I say it’s a total wreck, it’s a total wreck,” said Duplantis.

The family was riding out the storm in their Livingston trailer when a large tree fell on their cars and mobile home.

“We heard a loud crash from the first tree that fell over here and from that point we made a decision to move everybody to the middle of the house and not very much longer after I said that is when the tree fell on our home,” said Duplantis.

The large tree landed on their 4-year-old’s bedroom. Duplantis said he is grateful he made the decision to move his daughter to the living room.

“If she had been in this room at this particular time, she would no longer be here,” said Duplantis.

His little girl lost her toys, clothes and other belongings. Duplantis said she is still suffering from post-storm trauma.

“She tells everybody, I lost my house, a tree fell on my house, and you know that is traumatizing for a 4-year-old,” said Duplantis.

Dr. Katie Fetzer, a licensed professional counselor at The Wellness Studio , said natural disasters take a toll on mental health. In fact, she helped many local families after the 2016 flood.

“For children, it’s really important that we allow them a safe space to process how their feeling through play. But maybe they want to throw on a firemen suit and you know, act out what they experienced,” said Fetzer.

Fetzer also spoke about how therapists can help adults during and after a hurricane.

“Most mental health professionals are trained in psychological first aid where you are responding to the individual’s needs at that moment. You can also do weekly counseling and in more serious cases intensive counseling,” said Fetzer.

Meanwhile, Duplantis believes 4-year-old Hannah has been feeling a bit better since receiving new clothes through local churches. However, he said they still need help.

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“I have no way of getting back and forth to work and I need to, to support my family,” said Duplantis.

The family is unable to apply for individual FEMA assistance because Livingston Parish was not approved due to the lack of damage. However, they do have a GoFundMe that you can donate to.

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