Emergency - flooding in Louisiana

[Susan Mouw]

This is a shared post in FB, from Rhonda Silva:

"EMERGENCY INFORMATION:
Everyone, we have MULTIPLE club members of the Gulf Coast Poultry Fanciers being flooded right now: I am currently the President of this club. I just got off the phone with one of our older members, Junior Holden, who has several feet of water in his house (No flood insurance since not in a flood zone): The water rose so quick that most of his flocks of chickens were swept away and anything still there is only alive because it flew to higher ground.
Laura Jenkins has several inches of water in her house. Sue Westbrook has either taken on or soon will get water. Jennifer Mitchell is trapped in her home with rising water. Sadly the list goes on and on.
I am asking all club members to Please check in and let me know their situation. If they need help getting themselves and animals out before they are trapped....let me know: I really wish we had a boat about now.
As a club, I feel it is our duty to help our friends in their time of need. So, I am going to ask if anyone is willing to do any of the following:
1). Donate cleaning supplies
2). Donate household items or money for those.
3) Donate time once the water recedes. My husband and I have a construction company and can guide small groups through gutting what is necessary out of the houses. Also, help to do any rebuilding those who aren't insured will need.
4). Donate birds to rebuild flocks once that time comes.
Any and all ideas are welcome.
Please share this and let's pull together and come through for our friends in need.
Donations can be sent to the G.C.P.F.A. at 31033 Iron Kettle Rd, Bush, LA 70431-6111 and we can put together local drop off spots."

If you can help, please do.

All of our Louisiana members - please let us know how you are doing and how we can help.

Our prayers are with all those affected by these historical floods.

[Don]

The NC Baptist are available to help with tear out and rebuilding as soon as the Local govt invites them in to help.  They have units for emergency feeding as well as for Recovery processes.  They send volunteer teams down to set up as well as maintain the work for the times needed.  We had units there in Gulf Port for about three years after Katrina.  And we were down in Houma the day after the storm to feed along with the Red Cross and National Guard. And they were assisted by some of the folks that were helped in Gulf Port.  Texas Baptists have a very large disaster Relief and Recovery program too as well as several other states.  Either can be invited and will respond with very short notice.  They are very well respected and work well with the local building officials to get the job done to their specs.   

[Susan Mouw]

Don, that's awesome!  I did share your post with Rhonda Silva, so she'll know what help will be available.

Do you reach out to the local governments and offer assistance, or do they need to contact you?  How does that work?

[Don]

As it has been explained to us, the "Out of State" local govt has to start the process.  I am sure that the State        Govt Disaster groups are aware of the steps and will get it started quickly.  It all depends on which State Baptist Assoc they contact and ask to help.  The local groups typically predetermine locations and get local law enforcement to help with transport routes.  In Gulf Port they took up residence in church lots until after the local govt made the old armory site available. They were able to set up volunteer housing and warehousing there for the rest of their work teams. 
     In Houma the first location was a community college next to the another large civic building.  The first team went down with the feeding unit, a tanker load of clean water, generators, ice makers and three tractor trailers of basic food stuffs.  And a whole caravan of support trucks.  We were cooking the next morning for the public. The Guard was handing out bottled water and tarps.  Then teams of volunteers would follow for assessment and recovery efforts.  The best advice is to find out who/where the groups are centered and sign up for help as soon as possible.  The houses are handled by different teams as they assess, tear out and then rebuild.  It takes a while to build a process with the local code officials. Spraying and dry out time as well as Inspections will happen between stages. Electrical and Heating and A/C systems may need to be replaced too.  So it does not happen over night.   

[Don]

Susan, Pass this along to the contacts you have in the flooded areas.  It includes the first staging areas for feeding stations planned for the next few days.  I would expect it still will change as the flood waters recede and the mobile stations might be moved closer to the affected areas.

http://www.crossmap.com/news/southern-baptist-disaster-relief-deployed-4-kitchens-to-south-louisiana-30373