Recovery Spotlight: Shayne Laughlin State Farm Agency 

by Stefanie Powers 

Almost four years after Hurricanes Laura and Delta, many of us are still in recovery mode. For State Farm Agent Shayne Laughlin, there’s finally a light at the end of a long tunnel. 

“At the time of Hurricane Laura, we owned the State Farm property at 4344 Lake St., and Lake Street Liquor at 4336 Lake St.,” Laughlin says.  “Lake Street Liquor was a total loss. The roof was ripped off and the inventory had major damage due to temperature and water.  The State Farm office had a third of the roof ripped off and turned upside down, and it had fallen into the building. The windows were also blown out.” 

In addition, there were personal losses. “Our home was also 80 percent gutted. Most of the roof was missing, and the brick was pulled from the house and landed on both AC units. The water well was gone, the gas line was broken, the fence was down, and the garage door was MIA.”   

With five children, Laughlin and her husband had to scramble to find a place to live. “The Monday after the hurricane, we moved into a rent house in Crowley and signed the kids up for school,” she recalls. 

They then returned to Lake St. and rolled up their sleeves. “We cleaned up the office and boarded windows,” Laughlin says. “We pulled up flooring and got to work taking claims information. We recruited friends to help us move the remaining inventory from the liquor store by hand into the State Farm building because there were no storage facilities available.”   

Laughlin recalls that one of the biggest challenges during recovery was getting to and from Lake Charles each day. “My husband is a State Farm adjuster, so we both had a duty to be here. The traffic alone made the commutes two to three hours one way. Our second largest challenge was finding food and gas. We were fortunate to have a generator for the State Farm building, but we did not have a stove and no place to shower after working outside or visiting customers’ homes to assess damages.” 

Another hurdle to overcome was finding a qualified contractor to repair their building – a problem everyone in the area faced. 

“The generosity of other State Farm agents and community groups offering meals helped us tremendously, but we survived on granola bars most days,” Laughlin remembers. “And as far as showering goes, I think everyone in Lake Charles expected you to be sweaty, as there were few options!”  

Through all the stress and struggle, Laughlin says their faith remained intact. “No matter how bad things seem, there is always a silver lining, even if you have to squint to see it.” 

And there was a stroke of luck. “Once we were able to start rebuilding, an opportunity arose for us to purchase property two lots to the north of our original building,” Laughlin says. “This put us in a position to create a space for two new businesses at our original location and for one additional business at the new location.” 

For the past two-plus years, while waiting for the new office to be completed, Laughlin’s team of nine had been working out of a 1,000 square foot space. “There were no walls to separate the desks, no kitchen, and only one toilet and lavatory,” she says. “On April 15 of this year we moved into our new office – and it’s a game changer.” 

In learning from the lessons of the past, the Laughlins created a space that’s not only beautiful and comfortable, but fortified and functional. “We reinforced the roof, installed a large gas generator, put in a full kitchen and bathroom with shower and even purchased a sleeper sofa for the breakroom. If disaster strikes again, we will have a place we can continue to work in – as well as live in – if necessary.”  

Shayne Laughlin State Farm Agency, 4328 Lake St., 70605, (337) 477-7354, Shayne.laughlin.ts41@statefarm.com