Update about southwest Louisiana flooding

 

a side street
a side street

Tony Sferlazza (Plenty’s Gulf Recovery Program Director), my husband Calvin and I drove to Chauvin yesterday (Wednesday) to check out the flooding. We were unable to reach the Native American reservation further south due to reports of water that had not yet receded and were full of thick mud.

The streets in Chauvin were clear to drive on but many houses and streets were still under water. We saw people with buckets and mops walking through knee-deep water toward their houses. A very ominous scene indeed. Unfortunately we did not have the time to stop and talk to individual families.

We did meet with the executive director of United Saints, a grass roots organization that partners with Hands On and United Force. They have set up camp in a fire station in Chauvin to help people clean up and put blue tarps on roofs. Their plan is to go further south when roads are passable.

My good friends Carol and Mike from United Peace Relief, who I met during Katrina, have been doing hurricane relief work in Baton Rouge for the last two weeks. They will travel with us back to Terrebonne Parish on Sunday, hoping the roads will be passable so we can access the area further south and meet with Chief Albert and the people of the Biloxi-Chitimacha reservation.

Will keep you posted. Am sending a picture

Chauvin, LA
Chauvin, LA

 of the flooding in Chauvin. Everyone’s back yard is bordered by the levee that breached during Gustav and then again with Ike.

 

 Love,

Elaine Langley, RN (Plenty volunteer)

Phone call with Theresa Dardar of the Pointe au Chene Indian Tribe

**************************

Sunday September 14, 2008

I got to have a long phone conversation with Theresa Dardar of the Pointe au Chene Indian Tribe today.  She and her husband Donald, Vice Chief of the tribe, live in the shrimping village and know everyone there.  Many of the people in this village are related.

She called this hurricane double whammy the “Two Men.”  Gustav brought devastation to the community of 45 homes — roof damage affected every single house.  The electricity went out first, and then the water was gone, which was the most difficult for everyone. They were driving into Houma to carry home gallon jugs of water to cook with and wash off with.  Evacuation took place as they were identifying who needed what, as the flooding from Ike followed.  As we spoke, she was waiting for a relative to take her to her home after being gone for some days — the road still impassable, and they were going in by boat.

She said one 82-year-old woman’s house was totaled during Gustav and she was going to live in a shed that her son started to clean out for her.  It was flooded away during Ike.  There are 10 homes that were totally destroyed, to her knowledge, but full assessment of the damage was forthcoming. Nobody in the community escaped without damage.

One house on stilts — “you could see right through it,” she told me, “after Gustav.” Every home had roof damage, many completely gone, causing all of the belongings inside to get wet and ruined when the rains and flooding took place. Two or three trailers were flooded off their blocks and are now unlivable.

She said FEMA is nowhere to be seen — “there’s no government help at all,” Theresa said, “they won’t do like they did with Katrina.”  The Red Cross and Salvation Army have been there bringing food to people.

The tribe has a 501c3, and they are hoping to get building materials as well as assistance with building, and items of sustenance for the people who again are without basics.  In the next few days, it will become clearer what the needs actually look like. —Robin Rose, MD

 

********************************************

Update about recent hurricane damage suffered by Biloxi Chitimacha tribe

Saturday Sept. 13

Hello All

I spoke at length this morning with  Chief Albert Naquin from the Isle du Jean Charles Band of the Biloxi Chitimacha tribe … and he says that the newest flooding is worse again than Rita and all of the stalwarts on the Island were evacuated.  The waters came up very high, and his community took some heavy hits.

18 homes are totally un-liveable and this is an urgent need..
26 are damaged and will need a lot of work
The rest will need patching

It is inaccessible at this time, except by boat.

He said Pointe au Chiene across the Bayou is also essentially evacuated, ecept for a few people who have very elevated homes.

Albert says what they need right now is SHOVELS and BLEACH, as well as BEDDING.  Funds of course to offset the costs for families staying in motels.  Food is covered, that has already been  manifested.

There is a need for skilled carpenters and roofers, and he wants people who do not need to be supervised and who have transportation, in other words — bringing energy and not depleting already exhausted people.

Much love to all, may your intent and efforts be successful,

Robin Rose, MD (Plenty Katrina volunteer)