This past week, Louisiana endured heavy rain fall - four trillion gallons in the span of three days - which caused severe flooding places that usually do not, or have not in decades. Thousands of people were rescued from their flooded homes by boat to shelters (though some shelters did flood, causing those people to be moved yet again to higher ground).
When the week ended, Louisiana was left alone to survey the damage. Homes, cars and even precious lives were lost in the flood, but Louisiana refused to give up.
Though my family and I were not directly affected by the flooding, I still learned so much by watching the people in my state handle this devastating situation.
The strength and resilience the victims of this disaster displayed has taught me that sometimes, you are assigned a mountain to show others it can be moved. I saw photo after photo of smiling faces either geared up to assist with the clean-up process or preparing meals for those who were -- I even saw one where a man was grilling in flood water nearly up to his knees!
If that is not strength and resilience, I'm not sure what is.
I've also learned that sometimes when you think you need them most, the media will not come. One would think with this disaster being called the Great Flood of 2016, that it would receive more national news coverage -- most people received information on the flood via Facebook. Yeah, let that sink in.
This flood has not received the national attention it deserves for many reasons, but we can debate all day why. The fact will still remain that no one is talking about it.
No one is talking about the brave men and women who used their own boats and put their own lives at risk to save others trapped in the flood waters. No one is talking about a people who refuse to break though everything they’ve ever owned is now gone. My guess is because that would be too beautiful, too heroic, too amazing for the news.
And that's their loss.
But, with or without the news coverage, Louisiana will survive this. And I won't hesitate to tell everyone who will listen the biggest thing the Great Flood of 2016 has taught me: flood waters do not discriminate, but neither do good people.
And Louisiana is filled with good people.
