While most of the world has been focused on the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, two natural disasters occurred in the United States this week, displacing tens of thousands of people and destroying homes, landmarks and lives.
Over 31 inches of rain fell in 15 hours on Saturday, August 13 in Louisiana. Flooding began shortly after, forcing thousands of people into shelters or unaffected friends’ or family members’ homes. The Amite Levee broke, causing water levels to rise even higher and, as of August 19, 13 people had died due to flooding-related incidents.
The Red Cross has declared this as the worst United States disaster since Hurricane Sandy. Areas outside of flood zones have been destroyed as Louisiana received 6.9 trillion gallons of rain in one week. While officials have estimated that recovery and repair will cost somewhere around $30 million, efforts are being put forward to house, feed and care for people who have lost their homes. Most of this is provided by private citizen donations. There are small but effective ways anyone can help to begin the reparation of the nearly 40,000 lives affected by this disaster.
Red Cross: Text LAFLOODS to 90999 to donate $10.
NOLA Pay It Forward: Provides resources for early relief and rebuilding efforts.
United Way of Southeast Louisiana: Donate online or drop off needed supplies at one of their donation centers:
2515 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119 (9:00 AM and 6:00 PM)
411 W Coleman Ave, Hammond, LA 70403 (10:00 AM and 3:00 PM)
Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana: 100% of donations will be given to teachers to restock classroom materials.
Assess The Need: Livingston Parish school supply drive. Help get these kids back to school.
Companion Animal Alliance: Baton Rouge’s city animal shelter needs supplies and foster homes for homeless pets.
Denham Springs Animal Shelter: Accepting donations on GoFundMe—PetCo is matching donations up to $50k. You can also get them an Amazon gift card.
Tangi Humane Society: Accepting donations on GoFundMe.
An uncontrollable wildfire started in the San Bernardino Mountains in California on Tuesday, August 16. By Wednesday, only 4 percent of the fire was contained, even with the brave help of over 1,600 firefighters, few of whom sustained non-threatening injuries. While the exact size of the fire hasn’t been pinpointed yet, it has already burned through 47 square miles in under 24 hours and destroyed hundreds of buildings, including the iconic Summit Inn.
The most recent reports say that the fire is now 68 percent contained, but people are still homeless and/or displaced. While support has been flooding in, a little more is never bad. You can donate resources and money through the Red Cross.
