Thread by @DanLamothe

There are a million things going on. But I'm going to ask your attention and a signal boost on this.

There are thousands of people living in hotels after hurricanes Laura and Delta in Louisiana. Some of them are terrible. I know. I visited one yesterday.

washingtonpost.com/national/louis…

Please meet Quaylon Pitre and Skyla Thomas. They have three kids, and until recently lived on the outskirts of Lake Charles, LA.

Photographer Bryan Tarnowski took this photo of them today.

Pitre, until recently, worked as a security guard in Lake Charles's casinos. Thomas cared for the children full-time. One of them, an infant named Kamiri, has Down syndrome. They have a lot to balance, even on normal days.

Pitre and Thomas said they had stability before the storm. They rented a three-bedroom house and he worked full-time. Nothing easy about starting out with this many variables, but they had some help from family.

Then Hurricane Laura hit. It devastated most of Lake Charles, a city of 78,000. It's dozens of miles inland. Didn't matter. Massive damage. Massive trauma. Lives torn apart.

The couple left abruptly before the storm, heading the pleas of authorities to move to safer ground. They left virtually everything behind, and went to Texas to spend time with family there.

But this is a family of five. On top of that, Skyla's sister, Alyissa, and her two kids also were there. The two sisters, their partners and their kids eventually moved on to a hotel in Texas, and then moved all the way to Baton Rouge, where the sisters' parents had evacuated.

Skyla and Quaylon had a car, but they left it in Lake Charles. It needed repairs, and they didn't think it could handle long evacuation drives.

Now they're living in a hotel room with roaches. Saw those, too. Quaylon pointed them out, with disgust at the situation.

There are other families interviewed in this story, too. Some of them had a safety net. Family with room. Lots of savings. A good Samaritan who can help. Something.

Others do not. That backdrop is always there, but it is laid bare when a natural disaster hits.

I've been in Louisiana since Thursday. Still here, at least for the time being. A couple of things I want to point out:

There is a tendency with hurricanes and other disasters for some people to shrug when it misses the big cities.

"At least it didn't hit New Orleans!" Can't tell you how many times I've heard that from outsiders this week, on social media and otherwise.

Without a doubt, Laura striking New Orleans, or Houston, or anywhere else, would have been catastrophic, and for many more people than it was.

But that doesn't mean those who were affected should be ignored, and America should shrug and move on.

With an election, a pandemic and other high-profile issues hosing our attention down every day, an issue like this can fall out of the national spotlight.

In fact, that's what is being said in radio ads in Louisiana. I heard those, too, driving across the state yesterday.

For now, there is this: FEMA still hasn't delivered trailers to families in need in Louisiana. It sounds like it could come soon, at least in part. It's something that deserves national attention.

So, here I am, doing my best on this: This is their story, at least in part.

I've heard people wrinkle their nose when FEMA trailers are mentioned. But here's the truth: Many people down here in Louisiana consider it a godsend. They cannot wait to get one.

That's why this matters. That's why every day without them matters.

For many of these families, a trailer is a start.

I'll sign off with this: These sorts of assignments always introduce me to the silent angels in America. I'd like to introduce one. He is @AllenK_81.

Allen has been delivering meals to the Thomas sisters and their families for weeks. He found them on Facebook.

I'm mentioning Allen by name because he helps others, too, and he wants to help more. He introduced me to the Thomas sisters.

That's all for now. Please pay attention. That's all I've got on this.