‘Cajun Riviera’ Residents Paying Price of Living in Harm’s Way
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Mark Vonbodungen cast a primitive form against the raging orange glow of a fire pit as he tended its coals two nights ago in Butte La Rose, Louisiana, where thousands of residents are fleeing water that could reach 15-feet high.
Nearby, a rented storage container and a flatbed trailer held the contents of Vonbodungen’s weekend retreat, including doors and the water heater. Only the refrigerator and a few last-minute items were left inside the one-bedroom camp house. The last of the boudin sausage from the freezer roasted on a grill. After working 12-hour days since May 12 loading, sand-bagging and worrying, Vonbodungen, 53, was almost out.