I can't speak for the residents and victims of Louisiana, thousands of people who are displaced both in location and inside themselves, but I can speak about the shock and devastation that I witnessed.
I woke up at five on a Friday morning, before the birds started chirping, to claps of thunder and pouring rain. Imagine the sound of waterfall crashing, that's how the #louisianaflood began. I got out of bed and went to go look outside, and saw the water level with the sidewalks. There were flash flood warnings on my phone, but I shrugged it off, and I thought the rain would quit after some time. After all, I did live in Louisiana. This stuff happens all the time.
But then the rain just kept coming. Saturday and Sunday were horrifying. Concerned text messages and cries for help were being sent all over the state, and people were utilizing social media to locate loved ones. I got a text from a friend, asking if my house was flooded based on what she saw online. I was okay in my house; the power went off maybe twice, but a mile away from me, houses were getting three feet of water in the homes. The supermarket a walk away in my neighborhood had a fifty-person line, with families scurrying to stock up.
It was only Monday when the rain decided to lighten up and some areas got bits of sunshine that people began to deconstruct their houses. Homes became skeletons. Families and friends lost everything they had. At the end of many driveways were heaps of carpet, floorboards, drywall and so much more. It's like being in a wasteland.
The aftermath never ends. Families are left in a state of distress: there is now a time "before". I donated items (pillows, canned foods, toiletries) and assisted survivors with what's left of their homes, but no amount of donations or aid can help someone get back to their lives like money can. Families that are living in motels, with children that need school supplies, can't live forever on charitable goods. People are going back to their jobs, and coming home to salvage leftovers of their homes in the daylight, then they spend their nights in the homes of friend's or strangers with enough space to spare. As much as we all need to #PrayforLouisiana the people of Louisiana are known as #LouisianaStrong because the sense of community is overflowing whether you are from this state or not. Its arms are always open to those who have found a home in it, from food to music festivals to the rich culture. We want to live in Louisiana and we want you to visit our home the way we've always loved it.
Please consider donating to the following:
http://www.caabr.org/#!donate/ctzx
https://www.gofundme.com/2jdh3xg4
http://www.braf.org/louisiana-flood-relief/
https://app.mobilecause.com/form/5Sr-gw
https://www.facebook.com/2016LAFlood/?fref=ts
