Disaster program specialist Craig Ryan of the local Red Cross said Southwest Louisiana has “made his job easy” over the past two weeks during area flooding.
Ryan and his team have gone street to street in affected areas handing out cleanup items, snacks, water and hygiene kits. But by the time his team arrives at a flooded home, he said, friends and neighbors have already pulled up their sleeves, ripped out damaged Sheetrock and taken steps to prevent mold growth.
This display of generosity didn’t surprise Ryan. He said people in Southwest Louisiana are accustomed to hurricanes, flooding and other natural disasters and that going through these events together has made them more community-minded over time.
“The community is so resilient — everybody steps up to help one another,” Ryan said.
He said he’s taken supplies to Lake Arthur, Hayes, Jennings and Welsh. But he said he’s still waiting for waters to recede enough to enter Klondike, where flooding continues to block roads.
He said he visited Sweetlake and Little Chenier on Wednesday after officials issued a voluntary evacuation. He said that although water was well over many of the roads, yards and driveways, he didn’t encounter much negativity or despair. He said friends and neighbors had instead used the situation as an opportunity to barbecue or just spend time together.
The next step for Ryan and his team is getting experts to come down, assess flood damage and determine what type of assistance each person needs. Assistance can be monetary or service-related, and it’s given out on a case-by-case basis.
“We want to make sure everybody has a decent experience, even though it’s a disaster and it’s hard,” Ryan said. “We want to make sure they get into recovery as soon as possible.”
But Ryan said many people won’t wait for the Red Cross or FEMA to step in. “They’re going to want to get in and do it themselves,” he said.
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