"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." -Isaiah 41:10

You've seen pictures. You've heard stories. You've given to gofundme accounts, and you've shared news articles. But you never think it will happen to you, until the water is seeping in and you have less than an hour to grab whatever you can and get out of your house.

People ask what they can do, people offer to pray, people say it will all get better; all of these things are great. All of these things are wonderful, but I will not lie to you and say that that cures it all. People aren't just losing their homes, they are being separated. People didn't just lose a couple of belongings, some homes are nearly completely under water and some of their loved ones are no longer here on Earth. Some are stranded on their roofs, and others on the Interstate with no form of communication to even have the comfort of knowing their family is safe. This doesn't even mention all of the other tragic events taking place due to the flood, such as looting and natural gas leaks. For those that had to leave their homes, there was hardly any dry land to even retreat to- while people were being evacuated to shelters, those shelters were preparing for a "Plan B" for when the flood waters came to their own doors. People think by now we should be used to these sort of situations because of hurricanes of the past- do not be mistaken, this was no hurricane that we had time to evacuate for. There was no warning. There was no time to prepare. This was waking up to water at our doorsteps after what seemed like just a couple normal days of rain.

It was nothing pretty. It was nothing "fun," although many tried to make light of the situation by playing in the water or posting funny pictures, and for that, I am so thankful those people still contained a little laughter in the darkness that was the flood taking place all over our state.

I will say though, through this devastating time, I have never been prouder to be a resident of Louisiana.

We are not new to distress. We are not new to tragedy. Disaster knows us by name. And every time a heartbreaking situation arises, I am always amazed at the amount of resilience our people contain.

Over 20,000 people have been rescued, not just by our brave men and women serving through the fire department, police forces, national guard, coast guard, and ambulance service- but by residents just like you and me. Many sacrificed worrying about their own flooded homes, to save others in need as well.

Red Cross had to literally make a post asking people to stop donating because they were overflowing with canned goods, clothing, and other things for those in need where as usually they are begging.

Just because we have had a few sunny days (by the power of prayer, thank you God) does not mean this hard time is over and has passed. Louisiana has a long road ahead, the flooding itself was just the beginning. With a forecast of rain throughout the remainder of the week, we will continue to pray with one another, cry with our neighbor, and create light within ourselves to shine on others in their time of need. We are Louisiana, and if you think we won't rebuild and come back ten times stronger, then you are dead wrong.

If you are looking for ways to help, follow these links here:
http://www.volunteerlouisiana.gov
http://www.redcross.org/local/louisiana/volunteer...See More

To register with FEMA, follow this link here:
http://disasterassistance.gov/
(If your parish is not currently included in the federal disaster declaration, you have to call 1-800-621-3362 to register.)

If you or a loved one has evacuated and are in need of a shelter, follow this link here:
http://gov.louisiana.gov/news/shelter-information-...
(If you are in need of a medical shelter, call 225-578-6383.)

To read more on our local heroes, the "Cajun Navy," follow this link here:
http://thehayride.com/2016/08/meet-the-heroes-of-t...