A Visual before you read:
The 5 Mile Stretch of Walker South Road
Friday, August 12, 2016.
The 5 Mile Stretch of Walker South Road
Friday, August 12, 2016.
It seemed like any
regular rainy weekend was approaching. Brady told me it was supposed to rain
through Sunday. The kids were supposed to go to Nanna’s house for the weekend.
I was supposed to go grocery shopping when I got paid on Monday. We had no idea
what was coming. I don’t think anyone did.
I got the kids up and
ready for school. It was raining. I was prepared to walk the kids from the
garage to the bus with an umbrella. We stood in the garage for 20 minutes
waiting on the bus. I texted Brady, asking if he got word from the school, or
the bus driver. Nothing. I checked Facebook to see if the Subdivision Facebook
group had any info, and at the same time, a parent stopped on the street and
informed me that school had been cancelled. I sent the kids inside, and headed
to work.
The main highway we
live off gets a lot of water when it rains. There are low spots that lightly
“flood” on a regular basis. It didn’t seem out of the ordinary on the drive to
work that morning. Since I commute from Walker to Baton Rouge, I have to cross
several bridges on Walker South Road (that main Highway) and take Interstate 12
to cross the Amite River. Whenever we have serious issues, there is always the
worry that they shut down the interstate, or the bridges back across the river,
and I might not be able to get back home. (This has been an issue in the past
with big storms, freezing, etc.) So of course, that fear trickled in that I
might not make it back to the kids. I had them text Bobby, my bestie and
neighbor, that he was on emergency alert, to “save the kids” if necessary,
since we might get separated. Brady was already on his way to work in
Plaquemine, across the other big bridge (at the Mississippi River.)
As I traversed down
Airline Highway, I mention to Brady that Airline Highway was under water, and
that was unusual. In my 16 years of working off Goodwood and Airline, I had
never seen it happen before. First it
was just the parking lots at Don Carter’s and other businesses nearby. I saw
cars flooded already. Then, as I got further down, the water came up on the
road, and it was narrowed down to one lane of traffic. When I turned on
Goodwood, which always floods when it rains, it was nerve racking getting into
the parking lot in my lower SUV. After I made it inside, Debbie informed me
that Annette, the boss, had already called to see who had made it in, and told
her to tell everyone to gather work to take home. A few people trickled in, and
she arrived shortly thereafter.
We closed down the office and headed home. I was relieved to be going back across the river and not have to worry about the kids. I called Bobby to inform him the kids would be taken care of, and that I was on my way home. I stopped at Wal-Mart to grab something for dinner to make it through the weekend. Payday was Monday, and our supplies were extremely low. Since the kids were going to Mary’s house for the weekend, I just needed enough to get Brady and I through a couple of meals. Since it was raining, I didn’t want to get stuck with a cart full, so I grabbed the ingredients for spaghetti, enough to fit in one bag in a mad dash for the car in the down pour. (Hind sight – how I regretted this so much!! I had the opportunity to get food, and didn’t!!) I ran into Mary and Nick, they were shopping for food as well. They heard the water was rising. (They live off Walker South as well, in a lower area than we do.) I told them if they needed to, our house was available. We parted ways and I headed home.
I posted in the South
Haven Facebook group that Walker South Road was getting bad, and water was on
the road. I was soaked when I got home and unloaded the meager amount of food
that I purchased. I did grab 2 ponchos, for the kids to wear at the bus stop,
after our lovely experience of waiting in the garage. (We ended up using those
ponchos quite a bit during this, but not for that reason! We had recently dug a
pond in the back yard, and have 3 koi fish in it. With the nonstop rain, the
pond was in danger of overflowing. We used a mop bucket 6 times to drain the
water level: to keep the pump working, and the fish from escaping. All while
wearing those ponchos. Fun fun fun.) Brady had also recently bought me some
rubber boots, to wear while working on that pong. I certainly got some use out
of those boots during this ordeal.
It rained most of the
day. Our subdivision, South Haven, had a Facebook group that kept everyone well
informed. We received word that the kids’ school was taking on water, via
pictures being posted. A curfew was set for Livingston parish: dusk til dawn.
It continued to rain throughout the night. We never lost power.
Saturday,
August 13th
We kept the news on the
TV and watched the locals around us take on water. Cox internet went out, but we had satellite tv,
so we used the data on our phones to keep connected to the interwebs. I stayed
glued to the Facebook neighborhood group page. Bright and early, someone posted
that “the little creek just north” of South Haven had flooded and there was
water on the bridge. (This is West Colyell Creek.) Brady made a run to the
convenience store at the end of subdivision, Sportsman’s Crossing, and got
minimal supplies. (Some canned chicken, soda, etc.) They put up road closure signs right outside
our subdivision entrance, closing off Walker South Road to the north of us.
Through out the day, in
between the rain, I donned the poncho and my boots and drained the pond. When
it stopped, I was able to take pictures of our fish (they were saved!) Between
Brady and myself, we drained the pond 5 times. Our shade sail came down, but we
didn’t flood.
We fared quite well. I sorted through boxes of old pictures all day and watched the news. I watched the Facebook posts. My next door neighbor has a jacked up truck on big tires. Brad and his wife were going out and rescuing people in the high water. Their church opened up as a shelter. They asked for donations. We didn’t really have anything to give. When they posted they needed adult diapers, I donned my boots and ran some over. (Left overs that Mom had around the house.) It felt pathetic, but it was all I could give. The news was horrible. Everywhere was taking on water. Places that have never flooded before, were under water. Devastatingly so. One by one, neighborhoods were going under. Everyone was being rescued. But people were helping out, we were taking care of our own. (The Cajun Navy they ended up calling it.) Locals with trucks and boats, going to rescue anyone in need. The water came fast and unexpectedly. People were stranded on the interstate, on little islands. It came from everywhere. Baton Rouge was flooding. Denham Springs was already under water. Livingston Parish, they kept saying, was under water. Walker was getting water.
We fared quite well. I sorted through boxes of old pictures all day and watched the news. I watched the Facebook posts. My next door neighbor has a jacked up truck on big tires. Brad and his wife were going out and rescuing people in the high water. Their church opened up as a shelter. They asked for donations. We didn’t really have anything to give. When they posted they needed adult diapers, I donned my boots and ran some over. (Left overs that Mom had around the house.) It felt pathetic, but it was all I could give. The news was horrible. Everywhere was taking on water. Places that have never flooded before, were under water. Devastatingly so. One by one, neighborhoods were going under. Everyone was being rescued. But people were helping out, we were taking care of our own. (The Cajun Navy they ended up calling it.) Locals with trucks and boats, going to rescue anyone in need. The water came fast and unexpectedly. People were stranded on the interstate, on little islands. It came from everywhere. Baton Rouge was flooding. Denham Springs was already under water. Livingston Parish, they kept saying, was under water. Walker was getting water.
Brady
talked to Joey, the owner of Sportsman’s Crossing. He said our neighborhood was
the highest point in Walker, that we should stay dry. (Inside info from the
council or something.)
We received
notification that Livingston Parish schools were closed indefinitely. All other
schools were closed until Monday, or Tuesday, but our schools said “until
further notice.” 15 schools in our Parish flooded, including Chloë and Tate’s.
So many people were
reaching out via social media. Posting for help, for rescues, for assistance of
all sorts. It was so difficult to read the pain, the loss, the fear. The 75
year old fathers stuck on porches with water rising, the families with small
children needing a boat to come get them. People were evacuating, with barely
the clothes on their backs.
AT&T lost cell
service. And that made it even more dire.
Bobby decided to make a
late night run to Brad’s church, and we dropped off some donations. It was 10
pm, and everyone was sleeping, but they let us drop off the supplies.
Sunday
August 14th
I saw someone post on
my neighbor/friend Laura’s Facebook wall that they were unable to reach her and
they wanted to know if she was ok. I knew she had AT&T, so I went over to
her house to check on her. I couldn’t find her, so we drove around the hood.
Brady had just returned from Sportsman’s Crossing, and had seen her in her
driveway talking to someone.
It was then we
discovered the water was closing in on the south of us, near Port Vincent.
Water had taken the other end of Walker South Road, and closed Parker’s grocery
store. I texted my nephew John, who lives just down Walker South. He said he
didn’t have water yet, but had lost power. I told him my house was open, but he
said he would stay at home. I told him to come before it was too late, and he
said he would if he needed to.
Livingston Parish announced
travel restrictions to emergencies only. Not that anyone was doing much else.
10:45am
Another
neighbor/friend, Jenny, had taken in friends that were stranded on the
interstate. Her husband Travis had picked them up before the water locked us
in. She posted that she needed bedding and air mattresses. We had just taken
some over, when our friend Debbie posted that the water was rising at her
house. I did not hesitate. I donned my boots and ran to Brad’s house. I asked
him to rescue Debbie, and he did not even pause. He jumped in the truck. Debbie
said she had 11 people at her house, since her parents had already flooded.
Brady stayed at our house to prepare for all the people. Brad, Michelle, their
baby Addie, and I all headed north on Walker South Road to get Debbie and her
brood.
Let
me just throw in here… I AM TERRIFIED OF BRIDGES. ON A NORMAL DAY, I HAVE AN
IRRATIONAL FEAR OF BRIDGES. We get to the bridge, you know, “the little creek
just north of us” (West Colyell Creek) that flooded, and had water on it …. A
crap ton of water. Fast moving water. Deep Water. Brown water. So much water.
Michelle and Addie get out of the truck, not risking the baby going over that
bridge. It is just me and Brad. I am terrified. I am nervous. Ok, I am deathly
afraid the truck is going to be washed away in the current and I am going to
drown/die/never be heard from again! I am a city girl. I do not know the
physics of jacked up trucks with big tires, and moving water, and how you are
supposed to cross bridges, and what will make it and will not! And we chug
along, and we are going, and we are going, and omg are
(I did not take any
pics on the way there because Michelle was using it since she had no service.
Once we got to the bridge, I was way too freaked out to even think about pics
at the time.)
We make it to Henry
Road. But it is flooded. I call Debbie. Her group can’t decide if they are
going to leave with her. I tell her she needs to hurry, that bridge is
dangerous. She says she is coming. I stand outside the truck waiting for her. A
man with a stick walks by. I notice he has a large amount of blood streaming
down from the top of his head, down the side of his face and neck. I comment to
him that his stick is a good idea, to test the depth of the water. He says it
is for the cotton mouths. I ask him if he is ok (and indicate the blood.) He
says he is fine, and walks further down the street. Then he goes off road and
into the water. But I don’t know why, or what he was doing. There are many
people around. There were some people with a boat, ferrying people from
Debbie’s trailer park to Walker South Road. I ask them if they will pick up
Debbie and her family. They go down and pick up Rachel, Debbie’s daughter, and
the grand babies. Debbie and Nick wade
through the water, with their shorts hiked up. Rachael is distraught.
We all get in the truck
and head back toward the bridge. The men, and Debbie’s parents, decided to
stay. Apparently, they wanted to go to the opposite end of Walker S, towards
Walker. They had relatives that direction. They thought those relatives would
be coming for them later. We couldn’t go that way. It was also flooded by the
Best Stop and Woodland Crossings subdivision. We were going back home to the
Island of South Haven.
Low Water on Walker South Road
Water on Walker South Road
Water on Walker South Road
Deeper Water on Walker South Road
This
time I am taking pictures of the water with my phone. As we near the deep water
and the cursed bridge, we see a truck has stopped in the middle of it all. The
driver is talking to girl in a pink shirt.
We do not want to stop. Debbie and
Nick are in the bed of our truck. Rachael and the babies are in the back seat.
We are fussing, to ourselves really, “go go go, don’t stop, we can’t stop!”
trying to urge the driver to move his truck, because you DO NOT STOP in this
high, moving water, and we certainly did not want to slow down too much, nor
stop. The driver puts the pink shirted girl in the back of his truck and they
start moving. She is crying. I nearly
loose it myself, when our truck sputters and Brad says, “oh shit!” It took
everything in my power not to grab his arm and scream, “what do you mean oh
shit?!?!” Stay calm Gin, there are small kids in here, there is distraught
Rachel in here. Brad turns off the a.c. and the truck seems ok. I start filming
our trek through the river water. I am super nervous now. I think to myself,
“DO NOT grab Michelle’s husband, DO NOT FREAK OUT, we will make it back across.
DO NOT SCREAM at the truck in front of you to keep going, they won’t stop. GO
GO GO GO is repeating over and over in my head. I see the truck that is flooded
near the bridge just bobbing in the water. Calm, deep breaths. We make it
through the water and arrive at Michelle. Then the reality of what happened in
front of us is revealed.
Water on the Bridge
even boats don't always make it
Michelle
informs us, that just before we arrived, two people washed away on the bridge.
The pink shirted girl was walking with her father and brother. Her lizard
jumped from her shoulder, and she leaned to grab it. She fell over, and her
brother grabbed for her, and was washed away. His father grabbed for him, and
the current took him away as well. (I saw no people. I was filming. I was
taking pictures, I SAW NO PEOPLE!)
no people in sight
The man in the truck stopped, and picked up
the girl, she was crying because her family was swept away in the current, and
there was nothing either of them could do. I SAW NO PEOPLE! The
crowd around us went into action. Several men jumped in a jeep and went back
down to the bridge and the location of the stranded men. Someone shouted that
there was a hose at the house we were standing by. Brad shouted that there was
also an extension cord. They took both with them. Someone with a tractor and a
flatbed trailer went to help as well.
Civilian Rescue
My friend from the
neighborhood pulled up in a truck. I warned her not to go across that bridge.
She had someone with her that dispatched to the Sherriff’s office to send help.
They arrived within minutes, and began to unload a boat. However, in the
meantime, I was able to get a short video of the civilians rescuing the father
with the hose!! While we were waiting, the Sheriff’s dispatcher asked if any of
us had medical knowledge. There was a woman near the school by our house in
labor. The woman that lives across the street from us is a nurse, so I
mentioned this. There was a woman nearby, “with dreads, in a white tank top and
pink shorts.” She said she knew CPR, or something like that. Brad and Michelle
decided that we would go get Theresa, the nurse across the street, and take her
to the expectant mother. So we all piled up and headed back to our house.
Somewhere in the middle
of all this, before we left, and before the hose rescue, right after we had
successfully crossed the bridge, another vehicle arrived behind us. (I do not
know if they crossed the bridge, or just turned around at the sight of it.) It
happened to contain Karla, my nephew’s ex-girlfriend. She asked if I knew if
John’s house had water, which it did not, and asked if I thought he would take
her in. Since I had Verizon (winner of the GOLD MEDAL for cell service during
this crisis) I let her use my phone to call John, and apparently he said he
would take her, because she then headed to his house.
2:00 PM
We arrived at the
house, Debbie and her brood were getting out the truck, and I get a call from
Pam, calling to make sure we were ok. I was trying to hurry and give Michelle
another working phone to take with her on the baby-delivery mission. Everyone
at my house bombarded me with questions, and I had to hurry and get Chloë’s
phone to Michelle. Theresa was looking for a text book on how to deliver a
baby, and Katie was outside. We relayed the info about the baby, and her next
door neighbor relayed to her Arbor Walk (subdivision) connections that medical
help was needed as well. (I saw many Facebook posts about this.) I gave
Michelle the spare phone, they got Theresa, and headed out. I got back to my
house and explained to my family what had just happened, after I settled myself
a bit. (Katie’s husband Cecil was nice enough to then bring over some blankets
for our new house guests since we had just given away ours to Jenny Brawner.)
We later found out that
Michelle and Brad had arrived too late, the baby had already been delivered.
Apparently, the woman “with dreads in the white tank top and pink shorts” had
walked down to the house, delivered the baby, and went on her merry way. The
mother and child were then air lifted out to a hospital. And that was all I
heard. A friend of ours knows the grand parents of the baby, I guess I should
inquire and follow up now that things have settled a bit.
Michelle also later
told me that the smaller truck in front of us was drifting to the side, the
current was moving their truck noticeably to her. I am certainly glad it was
not noticeable to me! And she saw the entire thing go down while she was
standing there waiting on us to cross.
So now, we have Debbie
and her family, or part of them, at my house. No food, and no extra bedding,
since we had just given it away to a friend and her refugees when Debbie posted
that she was getting water.
At some point in the
day, the power went out. We thought our Island was beginning to become
affected. I started to open the blinds, and while my back was turned, Debbie
and Brady scream. I freak out! But when I turn around, it was only because the
lights had come back on! So, we were only without power for about 5 minutes
thankfully.
Someone posts to
Laura’s Facebook again, and I decide to go to her house. She is home this time,
and I find out she has a borrowed Verizon cell phone. Her son has flooded and
is in a hotel in Baton Rouge, but his car was “safe at Juban place” which is
now under water. Her sister in law in Woodland Crossing is trapped on her
second story as the subdivision is taking on water. Her parents are getting
water. Her husband is on his way home
from across seas, but we don’t know how he will get here, since we are water
locked. She is all alone, but she is safe, and dry, and I tell her I am here if
she needs me.
We scrounge up the last
of our spaghetti for dinner, divide it up amongst everyone, and try to pass
around enough food for everyone to eat. Brady made some biscuits, and we top it
off with canned corn. The kids have a picnic on the patio table, and we make do
with what we have.
6:00 pm
Later that night we
find out the National Guard has picked up part of Debbie’s family and taken
them to a shelter at Stine’s home improvement, including Rachel’s husband. She
then has a difficult time keeping in contact with him. Debbie’s boyfriend
Thomas has still remained at the trailer with her older son.
A friend messages me
via Facebook messenger, asking about relatives living in the area.
Unfortunately, I think they are near Woodland Crossings subdivision, and that
area was under water since Friday. I did know that the power was out over
there, and water was rising. I knew that she was not able to get here, due to
I-12 closing, and all the water locked bridges. We could not get into that area
either, and didn’t know the address. We did tell her that the National Guard
had evacuated some people from the area. I gave her the numbers I had of people
with boats doing rescues. (We later found out she got lucky, and had no water
in the house.)
Around 7 pm the South
Haven Facebook group posts that someone taking shelter at South Fork School
needs help with transportation. This is
what I was told: A woman and her elderly father are at the school. He is having
seizures and has asked if someone will take them in. Clara Cox (a random stranger
that answered the post) has offered to let them come stay in her empty house
with her mother, but they need someone to give them a ride. This is all being
relayed from Jenny Brawner, a friend/neighbor (that has all our borrowed
bedding) that knows the bus driver Mary Crawford. Mary is in contact with the
people at the school that need the shelter. (Mary was at some point staying
with Jenny, but I am not sure if it was at this point in time. Jenny took in 13
people during the flood, I believe.) We have moved beds and other furniture
around our house, making room for Debbie, Rachel, Nick, and the two young
girls, and cooked and cleaned, and Brady is tired and his back is hurting, so
he sits this one out. I volunteer to run to the school to transport “Steve and
Edna” to Clara’s house. Before I head out, I am told Clara needs some furniture
moved in the room they will occupy since she just had her floors done, and that
is why her house is empty. So, I figure I will grab Bobby on the way and he can
help me with the labor. So, once again, I don my boots and off we go.
When we pull up at the
school, people are everywhere. Inside, outside, roaming the parking lot. I am
nervous, due to the curfew, but I am assuming we will not get in trouble for
our transportation heroism. We pull up at one door, and strike out. Then we
realize our rendezvous point is near the cafeteria, and head that way. As I
pull in the drive way, I see Karla again! Turns out, when John’s neighborhood
started to take on water, and she decided to leave while she could, and take
shelter at the school. (I had been keeping in touch with John. He was being
stubborn. He lost power, but was not getting water in his house yet. Our
neighborhoods were high points. But I guess when the water started closing in,
Karla was taking no risks, after already fleeing (at least) one home so far.
As we are asking the
policeman on duty (who is sitting in a truck playing on his cell phone), if he
can help us locate the elderly man having seizures, Edna spots us and she gets
her clan. As it turns out, Steve and Edna, and their elderly mother, who is not having seizures, and their dog, are the refugees in need of
transportation. Their mother has a urinary tract infection, and some sores on
her legs that may or may not be infected. No seizures, and they have no idea
how it got lost in translation. But now they do ask about the dog, that no one
was aware of. We have no idea, as we are just the transport, and hope for the
best as we head to Clara’s house. Bobby and Edna are chatting away in the back
seat, and we find out that Edna’s salon was flooded, along with their home. As
it turns out, Bobby ends up renting out two chairs in his salon to Edna and her
friend during the 5 minute drive home! Edna now has a place to sleep (other
than the school/shelter) and a place of employment!
We get to Clara’s
house, and as luck would have it, she has dogs, and Steve and Edna’s dog is
welcomed with open arms. We take Mom to the first room, and the bed is too high
for her. (She really is quite a height-challenged woman.) We take her to the
second room, but it is the room that is full of furniture. Mom waits while we
remove all the dining room chairs, and finally is able to settle into the twin
bed. (But only after she insists I kill the moth that is on the wall. So I am
trying to get on the bed, without getting my boots all over it, and kill the
moth for Mom, while Bobby and Steve are setting up the dining room chairs with
Edna and Clara Cox’s mother in the dining room.) Finally, the moth is dead, mom
is settled, and Bobby and I leave. I return Bobby to his home, and with my good
deeds done for the day, I make it home and get some rest.
Monday
August 15th
7:49 am
While everyone is still
sleeping (the other 8 people in my house!) I decide to check Facebook, the
lifeline to the outside world. A former neighbor, Danyel, has tagged me in a
post.
A woman from Florida (Ginette Champton McDonough) has had no contact with her daughter Kayla and granddaughter Lilly since Saturday. Kayla lives near our Island of South Haven, on Hammock Road. Here is the tricky part: Hammock has flooded on part of the road. A friend of Bobby’s has informed us the other end of Hammock has 9 feet of water on it, but our end of Hammock is high and dry. So I message Ginette, and give her this information. She gives me vague details of roughly where they live, and it seems to be on our end of Hammock. I tell her that if my people are still sleeping, I will head over and see if I can find them. They are still sleeping, so I don my boots, and we hop in Brady’s truck and go exploring. All we have is “close to Sportsman’s Crossing gas station, on the left in that little trailer park. She has a little whitish Nissan Altima, I think the second trailer to the left, maybe 3rd.” There are several trailer parks, and the road does not have too far to go before the water starts, but we attempt it.
A woman from Florida (Ginette Champton McDonough) has had no contact with her daughter Kayla and granddaughter Lilly since Saturday. Kayla lives near our Island of South Haven, on Hammock Road. Here is the tricky part: Hammock has flooded on part of the road. A friend of Bobby’s has informed us the other end of Hammock has 9 feet of water on it, but our end of Hammock is high and dry. So I message Ginette, and give her this information. She gives me vague details of roughly where they live, and it seems to be on our end of Hammock. I tell her that if my people are still sleeping, I will head over and see if I can find them. They are still sleeping, so I don my boots, and we hop in Brady’s truck and go exploring. All we have is “close to Sportsman’s Crossing gas station, on the left in that little trailer park. She has a little whitish Nissan Altima, I think the second trailer to the left, maybe 3rd.” There are several trailer parks, and the road does not have too far to go before the water starts, but we attempt it.
By some miracle, we
find a place that fits the description and knock on the door. The man that answers gives me the strangest
look when I tell him, Ginette is worried about her daughter and granddaughter,
are Kayla and Lilly here, and if so, can
they speak with her on the phone? He invites me, and I call Ginette using
Facebook calling. She talks to them both, and they set her at ease, informing
her that AT&T is down and they have no WiFi. They are safe and dry.
(Verizon to the rescue once again.) We part ways. Ginette is so very grateful
to me for setting her mind at ease. She offers me a $50 credit at her online
Etsy shop. I tell her that is NOT necessary. She insists and sends me a link. I
have not used it. It was not a bother to check on these people, it was not a
bother to let them use my phone. It was not a bother to help this woman
communicate with her loved ones. I do not need payment for that.
Since we are on
Hammock, we decide to drive and see how bad the water is. We drive a bit of a
way down, and see where the water starts. We do not make it to Joe May Road,
where we are told there is 9 feet of water. (I am still doubtful to this day of
that depth. I do believe there was water there, but not 9 feet. I feel the
source may have exaggerated a bit.)
We turn around and go home. We see that the line has started at Sportsman’s Crossing, but that Joey has not yet opened the store. South Haven Facebook group informs me that Joey was out late helping his daughter and will not open the store for several hours, so Brady goes back up to tell the queue the information.
We turn around and go home. We see that the line has started at Sportsman’s Crossing, but that Joey has not yet opened the store. South Haven Facebook group informs me that Joey was out late helping his daughter and will not open the store for several hours, so Brady goes back up to tell the queue the information.
Just after we make it
home, but before I start to cook for the 9 of us, I get a message from
Brittany. She lives on Hammock, but was stuck in Baton Rouge before they closed
the Interstate. (Thank goodness she wasn’t one of those stuck on the islands
along the Interstate, and didn’t have to sleep on I-12.) I tell her that her
Aunt has informed us that there is 9 feet of water on Hammock, but she tells me
she is at the other end of Hammock. I don my boots, hop back in the truck, and
we head over to find Brittany’s house. Sure enough, she is nearer to Walker
South’s end, and her house is high and dry. I call her, via Facebook messenger,
and give her the good news. She is relieved, but anxious to make it home. Her
small Civic is no match for the water on the bridge over West Colyell Creek, so
I tell her I will let her know when the water has receded on Walker S. Road, or
on Hammock, and she can safely make it home.
I finally make it back
home, ready to feed the brood, and sit down to take a breath. And we find out
that we are under a boil advisory. Since Ward 2 Water district is unable to
determine if the water is contaminated, we must boil. So, we get the pots
started boiling, and tell the kids not to drink from the tap. Tate instantly
starts to get water from the fridge. (No common sense this one, not five
seconds after we specifically say, DO NOT USE THE FRIDGE WATER EITHER he is
filling up his water bottle from the fridge!)
10:56 am
My sister Kellie and I
are estranged, and we haven’t spoken in over 2 years. I checked her Facebook
page, and saw that she mentioned her daughter, Chelsea, was on Walker South
Road, and she hadn’t heard from her since Saturday. I had attempted to find out
more information, but had not yet received a response. Finally, Kellie
responded. She gave me the vague
information that Chelsea was at “a shop across the street from the school,
there was a pond behind the shop.” She didn’t know the address, didn’t know
what kind of shop, didn’t know the name of the people she was staying with, and
told me that Saturday night she had 3 feet of water, no word since. (Thanks to
AT&T.) It was 11am, boots back on
and we head back out. I stopped first at the cypress shop, across the street
from South Fork that had a pond. The man there had never heard of Chelsea, and
sent us to the Welding shop next to the school. No pond, no Chelsea. Kellie
gave me more info, “was a shop with 2 or 3 travel campers parked by it, house
to the left.”
The Life Saving Hose
-Notice the water has risen on the bridge!
We drove down to the apartments (that had the lifesaving
hose) by the bridge. Asked at the shop there with a house to left. No Chelsea.
It was as far as we could go in Brady’s truck. No luck finding Chelsea, and no
more shops. I told Kellie that I was not able to find Chelsea. (All via
Facebook Messenger.)
11:25 pm
On the way home from
searching for Chelsea, I stop at Bobby’s house to get some sugar. He tells me that
they are opening the Walker Walmart in 30 minutes. (All learned from the South
Haven Facebook group.) He said if I go, he wanted to come with me. He knows I
am low on supplies. Debbie and Rachel had gone to Sportsman’s Crossings and
gotten a few things at some point, but we were still low, and had no idea how
long we would be water locked. It occurred to me that BOBBY OWNS A HUMMER! I
told him to get his butt in his hummer and take me to Walmart to get supplies
to feed my family. We made an emergency list, and when Bobby arrived, the
hummer was full of people. Jalena, Cody, and Charisma have all flooded and are
staying with people in the neighborhood. They need supplies. So, we all head down
Walker South Road…
This freaks me out. How are we going to make it across if the military vehicle, which is made for this, didn’t! I am totally insane for doing this again. This is a crazy risk. Bobby is trying to take pictures and video and I am screaming at Jalena to do it for him so he can focus on driving and it is just pandemonium. I can’t watch. I just close my eyes, look down, and grab Charisma. And this was before we got to the bad part. We make it over the first bridge, and get past Henry road.
Then we encounter the
stupid people. There are too many people on this road. There are vehicles stuck
in the middle of the road in two places. There is a way to do this safely, but
common sense is not prevailing. People are not staying in the middle of the
road, where the water is most shallow. People are not going in single file.
People are going in both directions simultaneously, rather than waiting for one
car to cross through the deep water before going across. It is as if we have
left the area of calm and serenity and entered mayhem. The road goes from areas
that are dry and normal, to areas under several feet of water. Drivers should
be courteous and cautious, but they are not. We get near the Best Stop. I can
see that a truck has been ferrying people, as he drops off a load of people
that exit the bed of his truck and start walking down the water filled road
towards Woodland Crossing. There are many cars parked around what was at one
time the high ground, now flooded. The water is moving fast here, and so are
the vehicles. Trucks are just plowing through the water dangerously. I am a
nervous wreck. Water gets splashed in my eye, and now I am worried about
bacteria. I am just mumbling under my breath, hurry and get through this,
hurry, hurry hurry, but meaning in reality, go slow go slow go slow, not too
fast don’t be like them! I just want this to be over with.
We are going through
one particular area, where a truck is flooded in the water on the road. As we
start to go around it, traffic comes toward us from the other side! Why can’t
they just wait for us to cross this part! What are they thinking! This is so
dangerous. They could force us off the road and into the water like this. I am
so angry with them, why didn’t they just wait for us to cross? I close my eyes,
and hope Bobby can maneuver around the disable truck without risking us being
washed away. I am holding hands with
Charisma. I think we all are cursing the other drivers at this point. I know I
am mad, and constantly saying how stupid everyone is being. Some drivers start
to go to slow. Now I worry the hummer will stall. We encounter another flooded
vehicle in the road that we must go around. I nearly cannot take it. I am so
mad with the lack of safety that is present in everyone. Do they all have no fear? Do they think
themselves invincible? The hummer sputters.
We go over another bridge. There are 3 or 4 spots with deep water,
probably over 3 feet of water. Much of the road is covered in water, but not as
deep as in those dreaded spots. My fear of bridges is now tenfold, if not more.
Add to that stupid drivers, moving currents, and dodging flooded cars, and
bacteria in my eye, and I am at my threshold. We finally make it through the
water and over the Interstate. And what do we see, but a police blockade,
stopping traffic from going back down Walker South Road.
I am irate. I CAN NOT
have gone through all that to be trapped here in Walker, with no way to get the
supplies back home, and be stuck at a shelter! I get on the South Haven
Facebook group. At last contact, they were taking a head count in case the
military had to evacuate our neighborhood. There is someone who knows someone
with ties to everyone or everything. We get in line at Walmart. Yes, in line.
They are only allowing 10 people to go in the store at a time. They are passing
out free bottled water to those in line. The line is not very long. We are
wrapped around one side of the front entrance, L shaped. I make it well known,
that I will fight to get these supplies back to my family if necessary. I am
keeping in contact with those posting on the Facebook group as much as I can,
since I do not have a full cell phone battery.
There is some commotion
and we see a truck and several police cars pull into the parking lot. Soon
after, seven more police vehicles pull into the parking lot around the truck.
We never found out what happened.
Some pictures when my
eyes were not closed:
Buddy Ellis Road
We stayed in touch with
the South Haven Facebook group while in line waiting to get in to Walmart. We
were getting worried about being able to make it back home due to the police
blockade. I assured Bobby that I would fight to get back down Walker South
Road. I may be in jail, but the hummer was taking this food back to my kids!
Just before we get inside, I see a post from Todd Ray, the original poster that
let us know Walmart was open. He was able to talk his way back through the
blockade. The Walker PD was not so nice, but the Livingston Parish PD let him
through. I knew I was going to make it through the blockade. Then they let us
inside.
Bobby told me not to
get anything cold, in case we were stuck in Walker in his hummer and not able
to make it back home. So my list was shot to hell. I am not a panicky shopper.
I have to be prepared. I couldn’t think well in a rush. I started grabbing
things I was hoping I could make to feed 9 people, that didn’t require cold
food. So, boxed macaroni and cheese with the cheese pouch, powdered and
evaporated milk, canned chicken and tuna helpers, pop tarts (since we already
had a picker eaters breakfast fight over grits, hash browns, etc.), oatmeal,
cereal, some milk – yes I know it was
cold but I was willing to risk it. Then, in the middle of it all, I get a call
from my nephew John. His neighborhood was finally taking on water, and he was
ready to come to my house with his grandmother Cheryl. And their HUGE dog
Bonnie.
I tried to give him instructions on how to get to Bobby’s house to put Bonnie in a kennel until I could get home, since our fence was down, but the service was bad and Bobby was rushing me. I gave the phone to Bobby or Jelena to talk to John and Chloë. Now I had to prepare for 11 people at the house! I told John I might not make it back to the house, but the house was safe, and waiting for him.
John's neighborhood before he decided to leave
I tried to give him instructions on how to get to Bobby’s house to put Bonnie in a kennel until I could get home, since our fence was down, but the service was bad and Bobby was rushing me. I gave the phone to Bobby or Jelena to talk to John and Chloë. Now I had to prepare for 11 people at the house! I told John I might not make it back to the house, but the house was safe, and waiting for him.
I grabbed enough meat
for two meals before Bobby insisted I NOT get cold things. I grabbed drinks,
bottled water, and anything else I could think of. Then it started to rain, and
Bobby was really rushing me. We had to hurry before the water got any worse
going back! It was a mad dash against time. At the check-out, the cashier
assured me, “it’s a regular day at Walmart ma’am”. There were no restrictions.
I got cash back, just in case of emergency. We were not limited on our
purchases, and were able to use debit cards. Then we realized that the kennels
Bobby and I had intended to leave at Brad’s church were still in the back of
his hummer, since the church didn’t need them! Now we were limited on space.
We piled the food in
the back of the hummer, on Jelena, and around everyone’s feet, all while
getting poured down on from above. Soaking wet, I jumped in and sat with two
cases of bottled water on my lap. Ready to fight with the police, we headed for
the blockade. But, by the time we got there, it was gone! It was a straight
ride home, back through the madness again. It was just as crazy, just as
frustrating, and just as frightful.
1:44 pm
Along the way home,
Kellie texted me that Chelsea was safe. And then I noticed several more shops
that could fit the description. Laura
calls me to ask about Walmart. I can’t take the call as my phone is dying and I
can’t reach the charger and talk on the phone at the same time, and the speaker
is distracting to Bobby, the driver. I tell her I will talk to her when I get
home. The drive home has me on edge. The hummer sputtered. I could swear I felt
us drifting to the side at one point.
We finally make it home
and everyone comes outside to help unload the supplies. I am freed from my
cases of water and I rush inside. I am so stressed out at this point that I
just hug, and vent, and try to calm myself.
I take over the boil brigade and finish up that. Then I am running all
over the house trying to make sleeping arrangements for 2 more adults. Then I
was cleaning up the house after having so many people in it. John and Chloë
were not able to get Bonnie in a kennel at Bobby’s house, so she was on the
back porch in her own smaller kennel. She would whine every now and then, but
would calm down if someone went outside to tell her to be quiet. Brady wasn’t
feeling well, and was laying down the rest of the day.
We found out that
Sportsman’s Crossing started price gouging and was charging people crazy prices
for what remaining items they had. It was being reported all over Facebook, and
not just in the South Haven group. Neighbors were talking about it too, on the
streets, and on Facebook. Brady even said Joey was adding an additional $40 if
you were paying with a debit card when he was running the card though. It was
getting ridiculous. They were the only supply store within the water locked
island, and now this.
We received word that
the shelter at South Fork was getting sketchy. They were stealing food and
other supplies from within. People were asking to leave South Fork and stay in
the neighborhood, and neighbors were taking in those that they could.
We saw a Facebook post
about the over turned National Guard truck that was in the river at the bridge
over West Colyell Creek. Apparently it was full of refugees being evacuated
from South Fork, en-route to Stine’s, the shelter set up in Walker, when it
went into the water. It was a huge effort, the community was called into action
as a chain of people pulled everyone out of the water to safety. But the truck
remained.
Debbie and Rachel had
started to cook some Red Beans and Rice for dinner at some point during the
day. Finally it was all quiet and we were all settled to watch a movie.
6:00 pm
There is a knock at the
door. I am nervous to see who it is, but when I open it, I am surprised to see
Thomas, Debbie’s boyfriend, and her son. Debbie and Rachel run to the door and
everyone is hugging greetings of joy. Thomas gives Debbie her coffee and they
soon start packing. The water had receded at her house, but was still over the
bridge. They felt it safe enough to
cross it again and go back home though. Excited to be reunited and ready to go
home, they left before dinner.
I managed to talk John
into one pond draining, convincing him of its work-out quality. He took pity on
me and humored his aunt. So, Brady and I got in 5, John got in 1. Fish were
still safely tucked in their pond.
Debbie and Rachel had
cooked a ton of red beans for the now smaller group of people at our house. And
as it turned out, not everyone at the house was a fan of red beans. So, after
we finished up dinner, we took the remaining red beans over to Jenny Brawner’s
house, full of her additional 13 refugees and gave them the excess red beans,
since we now had supplies from my run to Walmart.
I tried to call Laura
back, but was never able to get in touch with her. Her parent’s house was
flooding, and she was trying to get them out and to her house, somehow, some
way.
We finally settled for
the night, with many trips outside to calm Bonnie down. (Later talking with
Katie and Cecil and Michelle, “that is what that noise was?!”) At some point I
did inform Kellie that her son was at my house, safe and dry.
Tuesday,
August 16th
We awoke to receding
water, somewhat. (We were still water locked on the Port Vincent side, but the
Walker side had some water drainage.) The interstate was opened in areas. Brady
was up early and headed out to work in Plaquemine. He said the water was low
enough to cross the bridge in his truck, and possibly an SUV, but there was
still water covering the road, several feet deep in parts. Since my day was
busy and hectic, and death defying the day before, I had determined that I was
NOT LEAVING the subdivision, nor crossing that bridge, until there was NO water on it.
Just after John woke up
we found out that the water was down by his house and the power was back on. He
and Cheryl packed up and left for home.
Around 10 am the water
had cleared up on Walker South Road enough for safe travels. I called my boss
at the office, but she said to just wait and come to work the next day. I was
worried about leaving the kids home alone anyway, with the drama at the nearby
shelter at South Fork elementary. I let Brittany know it was safe to make it
home in her Civic.
2:00 pm
We met at Gina’s house to
form a delivery plan. Just as I arrive
in her foyer, I get a call from our landlord. I assured them the house was ok.
(But since I was at a stranger’s house, I was not able to complain to them that
they had not fixed the fence in months!) It took a very long time to sort the
meals and organize a deliver plan. Gina received some texts from Jenny Brawner.
(And I discovered that the reason she offered to deliver the meals was because
“she was bored”. We offered to deliver the meals to help out people. Not
because we were bored… ) Jenny told her that she would stop by and pick up her
3 meals. I noticed later that Gina posted on Facebook, “Who needs a hot meal? I have 70 meals at my house! Put your
address in the comments.” and when another person responded to
the original post that she could help deliver – “All
of the food is at my house. I will distribute it. I will let you know if I need
help”
By 2:43 pm we were out delivering meals. We ended up with the meals for Clara Cox’s house and her refugees – Steve, Edna, and Mom! They were surprised to see us again. We also had Jenny Brawner’s meals, she was now down to just 3 refugees, who happened to be friends of Bobby’s – Riley, his pool guy. (It is such a small world.) One of the homes we delivered to was empty, no one answered the door, and we had a few extra meals. One house that only requested one meal, had an additional 6 refugees when we arrived. It was very awkward. We pulled up to a driveway FULL of cars, at least 5, and I knew that one container of food seemed off. Apparently, she had some guests arrive overnight. We later ran into Gina, and told her that we ended up with Jenny’s meals despite the fact that Jenny had told Gina she would pick them up from her house. Well, when we arrived at Jenny’s house, it turns out that Gina had already delivered some meals to her anyway. We gave Jenny the 3 meals anyway, since she had extra people in her house and it would alleviate the strain on her. (She was recovering from surgery she had the day before the flood, and then all the stress from her assisting others during the flood.) Gina texted me later asking if I still had extras, and we told her about the one house that had the 6 extra people. However, she ended up taking the food to Tanya, Bobby’s cousin that commented on a post that she would take 4 containers of the food if Gina still had any. After Gina made it home from the grocery store hours later, I think she gave Tanya the food.
People were finally
able to get in and out of the hood on Walker South, and then we see many posts
about the traffic coming to a dead stop / stand still for hours. Apparently,
the National Guard decided now was the time they were going to attempt to
remove the truck that had washed out on the bridge. So, many people sat in
traffic for hours at a time while they did that.
Brady made it home from
work that evening and we had a somewhat normal dinner. Then after dinner, the
shit hit the fan.
7:56 pm
I get a Facebook
messenger text from Crystal, a neighbor. “Armed looters in subdivision behind
us. Lock all doors and windows. Spread word if you can.” At the same time I see
a post in the South Haven Facebook group “Reports of people disguised as Cox workers holding people up by gun point
and robbing them in Woodland Crossings neighborhood. Be aware....” I
quickly send the text to everyone in the neighborhood that I am friends with.
The Facebook group for South Haven goes nuts. The neighbors start to gather,
form a neighborhood watch meeting, all bringing their own weapons. They are
going to patrol the streets and protect our subdivision. We have our own little
militia forming. Former Marines. Weekend hunters. Ex-military. A call to arms
has gone out, and South Haven has responded. I call the kids in the Livingroom
and make them sit on the couch next to me. We don’t own a gun, only a hunting
bow. Brady gets it ready and sets it on the kitchen table. I am frightened,
worried about stray bullets and what not. I know they are just trying to
protect, but too many people amped up, can cause chaos. (Zimmerman, Trayvon,
Neighborhood watch…)
Laura calls me. She
tells me that the Woodland Crossing incident was a rumor. Her sister who lives
there set her at ease. Someone had their relative, who happened to work for
Cox, and was in his Cox uniform, and had his personal gun on him at the time,
was checking out the property for his loved ones. A neighbor saw this, freaked
out, thought he was trying to break in, called the police. Many many police
arrived, there was a big deal. Many neighbors freaked out, it escalated. Kind
of like what was happening now. There were no armed men disguised as Cox
employees robbing anyone. I told her she needed to let everyone know, fast. She
posted on the Facebook group, but the Neighborhood Watch still patrolled. Many
people were thankful for them, but some opposed. Someone called the police. The
police were upset to be taken away from real issues to deal with this. They
informed the NW what was legal and what wasn’t. (I don’t think that changed
anyone’s mind or what they were doing.) Some people were shining spot lights,
etc. from what I read. We eventually let the kids go to sleep in their rooms. I
was paranoid. The next day, the kids went to work with me.
Wednesday,
August 17th
The kids spent the day
at my office. There was no way I was leaving them at home, with an armed
militia in the subdivision, looters in the nearby area, and drama at the
shelter at South Fork. We found out that Verizon had enabled the Hot Spot
option (along with the Free Data they were offering during the flood ordeal.) So,
the kids were able to use the cell phones data as free WiFi on their tablets.
This did not really help with the security cameras we have at the house though,
so they were going to be coming to work with me for the rest of the week until
things quieted down at home.
On the way home, we
decided to stop by the Bass Pro in Denham Springs at the MRE distribution
center. Finally, 6 days after the flood began, they were handing out supplies
for those in need. Since we knew of 3 families that were affected by the flood,
we figured we could stop and pick up some MREs for them. We were so very wrong.
Now, there has been
much discussion and drama about Obama being on vacation and how he couldn’t
stop playing golf long enough to declare Louisiana in a state of Emergency, etc
etc. I am not even going to start in on that. It did take him quite a while to
declare the State of Emergency. I get that. If we would have waited on FEMA we
certainly would have had another Katrina on our hands here. We did not wait. We
took care of our own. The Cajun Navy saved everyone. Citizens got in their own
boats, and trucks, and saved their neighbors, and strangers, and people came
from everywhere, and helped those in need. And I am not usually a “Fuck the
Government” type of person, but after driving through the Bass Pro parking lot
that night, I think I might just become one a little bit.
During
Hurricane Katrina we had damage to our home. During Hurricane Gustav, we flooded
and had hurricane damage. We lost our entire home and had to rebuild
everything, keeping only the brick exterior. That is another story entirely.
But I know what it is like to flood. And both those times, the government
handed out MREs. And I can remember driving up, and receiving a box of MREs and
case of water. Each time we came, that is what we would receive. We would show
ID, and receive supplies. Well, this flood was, in my opinion, a much wider
spread disaster than Katrina, affecting more people and more homes. But they
did not give us the same supplies.
When we pulled up, the
line was fairly short, and it was about 45 minutes until the end of the
distribution time they had posted. (9am-6pm.) The moved quickly. When it was
our turn, I asked the camo-clad man if we could pick up for 3 families, and had
their addresses on a post it, along with my ID in hand. (He never asked for my
id, nor looked at my post it.) I could not understand what he said, he shook
his head. He barely paid attention to me. The other soldiers put 9 meals in my
car and handed up 8 bottles of water, and sent us on our way. There was no
discussion, no explanation. Move right along. I was disgusted. These
9 meals would feed the 3 people in my car for one day, 3 meals a day. And not
even one bottle of water per meal, with only 8 bottles! How devastating this
would be to those who lost everything in this flood. This was the help, the
assistance the government was providing!
We dropped off the meals on the way home. What a sorry state we have come to.
9 MREs and 8 Bottles of Water
Thursday,
August 18th
Tate spent the day at
the salon with Bobby, and Chloë came to work with me again. (Bobby highlighted
Tate’s hair, and taught him to answer phones and make appointments.) The
neighborhood settled a bit. The boil advisory was lifted, and we found out the
water was safe all along, (they were just unable to test it at the time, and
thought it better to be safe than sorry.)
Gin Tanner
I thought I had
updated, we are fine, the water is receding. Back to work in civilization. The
kids are at work with me. Our supplies are replenished. Thank you everyone for
your concerns during all this!!
Friday,
August 19th
Cox “repaired” the
internet in the neighborhood, but ours was sketchy. (They eventually blamed it
on our modem, and we had to get a new one. We finally got our internet working
again 9/2/16.)
Sunday,
August 21st
Laura’s parents house
was being gutted, by Laura and her family. Brady took pity on them and went to help.
She wasn’t sure if there was mold, so I was not able to go and assist, due to
my respiratory issues at the time. (I have been suffering from respiratory
issues since May, and we thought it best to not press my luck with potential
mold.) He saved them with his experience and knowledge, and they were able to
gut the entire house in less than a day with his help.
Thank you so so so so
so so very much for all the help today my parents were so thankful you
came.... Joel Williams n Yvonne Guillot Williams .... we couldn't of done it without you... you worked all
day just to help us out, thank you , and Gin Tanner thanks
for letting us borrow him....
Monday,
August 22nd
Life is getting back to
normal. As normal as it can be. Many businesses were affected by the flood.
What is open has what I am calling “flood hours”. The Walker Walmart is only
open until 5pm, and I can barely make it home before 5. (Hours later changed to
6, then 8pm.) Trying to buy the kids some cold medicine on the way to work was
a failure as well. Walgreen was not open, nor was the grocery store, (not
opening until 8 am or 9 am. I had to make a run on my lunch break instead.)
There is a military presence everywhere. Traffic is heavy. Some places still
have high water (Gonzales, Sorrento.) Many churches are still disaster centers,
handing out supplies and food.
Pretty much a common
sight for us now, I've stopped saying to the kids, oh look at the army
trucks...
So yesterday I had to
run to Home Depot on my lunch break in Baton Rouge, because the Home Depot and
Lowes by our house both flooded. At front doors you encounter stacks and stacks
of trash bags, mold cleaner, plastic bins, trash cans, air conditioners,
dehumidifiers, etc. And a big sign that said, bleach doesn't kill mold. My
check out girl was from Georgia and my loader was from Texas. Each day a new
bus arrives with new employees, here to help. I felt so bad with my survivor's
guilt that I just needed sand for my patio because the rain made a mess of my
paver stones...
Comments
Jenny
Phillips Brawner Ditto. I still need my dog groomed. I still have
managed to get him there because of the survivors guilt I still have.
Joan Williams Lehon Are
your fish OK?
Gin Tanner I'm
not really sure anymore, the water is brown and I can't see them... But they
didn't float away at least, I do know that!
Joan Williams Lehon I
don't know whether to laugh or cry.
Gin Tanner I
sure got a work out, squats and all, saving them and keeping that pond drained!
Little hidden bastards...
Gin Tanner I
tried to help out as much as I could. I try not to let the guilt get me. I've
flooded before. I can honestly say I know what its like.
Ashley
Verneuil Thompson The guilt is real 😰
Thursday,
September 8th
It is now three weeks
later as I finally finish writing this. Most stores have resumed normal hours.
Traffic is still horrible. At least it doesn’t take me an hour and half to get
home anymore. (It is a 25 minute drive…) I still find myself going to a business
and they are closed due to the flood damage. I forget to call ahead to
determine if they are open. The kids will return to school Monday, September 12th. The neighborhood is still helping out. Many
people are still taking donations for those in need. Some people are still
housing refugees. (In fact, we were headed to Bobby’s house the other night,
and we saw a commotion outside someone’s front door. I saw an elderly woman on
the ground. I stopped and asked if they needed help, and they did! Carol had
fallen, and Susan and her daughter were unable to pick her up. They had just
returned from the hospital, where Carol’s husband was in the intensive care
unit. I helped them get Carol to her feet, and in the house. The kids and I
learned that they were flood victims, staying with a friend, Gary, that lived
in the neighborhood. That Saturday, 9/3/16, we picked up some lunch from the
Winn Dixie – a New Orleans restaurant had prepared meals, sent it with a local
church to distribute to those in need in our parish. So, we picked up several
for them, and brought it to Carol. As it happens, her husband had passed away
that morning. I was glad we were able to bring them some relief, at least they
did not have to cook that day. We heard her sounds of joy as she perused the
bags of food as we were leaving, “Oh look at this, oh my, what is that…” I
think it was gumbo, ratatouille, biscuits, cookies, and sandwiches.)
The devastation is
still everywhere. Brady’s sister lost her trailer. FEMA is denying people left
and right, his sister included. A friend’s place of employment was flooded.
Another friend had flood damage to their home. Brady’s friend had damage to
their home. My nephew lost his car. His stepmother lost her car. My sister’s
trailer was damaged. It goes on and on. There are still people that have water
in their homes. There are still businesses closed trying to repair the damage.
There are businesses that won’t open again due to the damage. Everyone is
trying to recover.
Woodland Crossing
Subdivision
The mud on the tree
leaves shows where the water line was
The water line of
mud on trees on I-12
The Five Mile Stretch
of Walker South Road
