fbpx
Politics Foreign Affairs Culture Fellows Program

Flood Volunteer Opportunities in BR

What are you doing this weekend? Come help people who lost everything

Screen Shot 2016-08-20 at 11.33.52 AM

Above, an updated map showing flooding in the Baton Rouge metropolitan area. Note that this is ONLY the Baton Rouge area; flooding was extensive also around the city of Lafayette, to the west. Please understand that what you are looking at in blue are not natural lakes. That’s flooding.

Readers in the Baton Rouge area, I’m passing on information that some of you have sent requesting volunteers.

Here’s one I received early this morning from a north Baton Rouge reader who spent the past few days with his elderly mother in a Baton Rouge hotel, because their house was flooded. I’ve redacted certain information for the sake of privacy, but if you are in a position to help this lady, e-mail me privately (rod — at — amconmag — dot — com), and I’ll put you in touch:

There is a lady who prepares the morning breakfast buffet here at the hotel who has been working every day.  Her house was deeply flooded.  The hotel won’t even let her stay here!  She has an adult son who had surgery just before the flood, and has no one to help her get things out of her house.  She was only able to go over to the house yesterday and it is a mess of course.

I am not asking you to take this on, but if you do know of any resources – if anyone has contacted you to get hooked up with someone who needs help or whatever – I am gonna give you her contact info, and if you can put her in touch, please talk to her.  Whomever helps will need to wear quality masks to avoid inhaling mold.

I have the lady’s contact information. E-mail me if you’re serious about helping, and I’ll share it with you.

Here’s another I received from someone at Our Lady Of The Lake College in Baton Rouge, the college attached to Our Lady Of The Lake Hospital. Unfortunately I got it too late to be included early this morning, but there’s still an opportunity on Sunday to help this college community restore its members:

If you can volunteer, I’m going to gather groups at two times: 8:15 and 9:45.  What I’ll ask you to do is show up in the parking lot of the Liberal Arts Building (5345 Brittany Drive).  Once I see who is there, I’ll divide people up into teams, give them supplies (tools, masks, gloves, food, and drink), give them an address, and send them out with a team leader.

Feel free to bring friends, spouses, or anyone else you know who wants to help.  If we work really hard, we can leave our friends and colleagues with a home that just needs to be renovated.  You should wear ratty old clothing and probably bring a towel to sit on for the ride home.  If you have your own work gloves, pry bars, utility knives, or masks, please bring them (if not, we’ll provide what you need).

For those in the OLOL faculty and staff, I need a few more supplies in the morning.

    • ​​I need two more coolers, with ice in them.  I’ll provide the drinks.
    • about 8 more pairs of work gloves.
    • If anyone has a dolly or wheelbarrow, please bring it — water laden stuff is extra heavy
    • Some more masks.  I’ve got enough for our visitors, but want to make sure everyone has one if needed.
    • Some more garbage bags.
    • Maybe a pump sprayer or two.

By the way, we will have some other volunteers coming on Sunday at 11:30, so if you aren’t available on Saturday, we’ll have a chance to help on Sunday.

I will keep this list up for rolling updates throughout the weekend.

Advertisement

Comments

Want to join the conversation?

Subscribe for as little as $5/mo to start commenting on Rod’s blog.

Join Now