re: LA people affected by the flood - how can we help?

I bookmarked this. I have elderly relatives in the area. Will let you know if they need help after talking to them tomorrow. Depends on how high the water rises overnight.

My elderly parents made it out this morning with very little. I think we can provide for their basics very easily. The freaking tear out and remodel is going to suck. They have very little money, but I will get friends to help with good bit of it as far as labor goes.

Water just came up so fast, we couldn't get to them to save anything. Just happy that they made it out and are safe.

Thanks for the kind gesture OP.

A few years ago Chattanooga had some bad tornadoes. I held a quick clothes and money drive at work (in Baton Rouge) and was able to send 2 pallets full of clothes to a church that served as a shelter close to where all the damage occurred. It was really easy to do and they were very grateful. I just randomly chose a church, called them ahead of time and sent the clothes. That way I knew 100% of our efforts were going directly to victims.

Plenty of churches in BR serving as shelters, so maybe your church can contact one here and do something similar.

My elderly parents were rescued this afternoon and got out with the clothes in their back. The last we heard from them they were at a staging area waiting to go to a shelter until my brother or sister can get to them. We don't know what shelter or if they've even gotten there yet. They lost everything.

I'll probably be flying in soon to help them with the clean up. They rent so fixing the house is not an issue. But finding a place to live is probably going to present a problem since so many are displaced. They'll be at my brothers for the time being.

I've been to our church which is now a shelter. Word is Red Cross is 48 hours away.

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Where is the best place to donate clothes? I just cleaned out my closet and have a stack I hadn't taken to goodwill yet. There is a Red Cross across the street from work, but not sure if they accept donations there.

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Hold onto them for now and look on the news tomorrow. They'll certainly be asking for donations and direct you to the correct location.

Leave

From the WAFB website

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LIVINGSTON SHELTERS: The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office is asking for churches along Hwy 190 to be used as shelters. They also need people who can work at the shelters. If you can help, call (225) 686-3996.

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Not sure if that helps you at all.

I RAed as well, this is not the time or place for those comments even if it is the OT

Thank you for your offer. The water is rising at my house, but my house is 10 feet off the ground and it was designed to flood. I've got a boat if I need it and my vehicles are on higher ground. A lot of the people who flooded weren't in a flood zone. They never expected this and they've lost everything.

They are going to need water, ice, food, clothing, shoes, toiletries, bleach, cleaning supplies, pressure washers. I would bring them to the churches that aren't flooded, most of them are shelters.

In addition to supplies, we are going to need people to help with cleanup. So many houses are flooded and whether they have insurance or not, they will still need to start tearing out and cleanup as soon as they can get in there. I think every school in this parish is flooded, it's a nightmare. We are a long, long way from any kind of normalcy.