On Aug. 13, a flash flood warning was released in South Louisiana. Over the next two or three days, some residents experienced non-stop raining followed by flooding. After the rain had stopped, some lost everything they owned and were in need of relief efforts to gut their house and dispose of lost material items. Students and community members rallied together to volunteer and help those in need. 
The Lion's Roar/William Schmidt

Over the course of two days, certain areas of south Louisiana felt historic proportions of rain fall. With over two feet of rain in some areas, 13 confirmed dead and some areas still trying to clear out water, members of Tangipahoa Parish came together to help those in need through flood disaster relief. 

One such effort was led by associate professor Amber Narro. She was able to bring students together and have them meet in front of the Student Union and then coordinate their relief work at various work sites in the community. 

“This is the product of a conversation with associate professor Amber Narro,” said Executive Director of Public and Government Affairs Erin Cowser. “Over the weekend, she put together a Facebook group called Tangipahoa Volunteers and on her own was thinking of people who needed help and available resources. This is an extension of that. This is where the sites of the work needed list came from. People have been steadily feeding us locations. There is sadly no area that is short in need of resources.”

With students already moved back to campus, the relief effort led by Narro gave students the opportunity to help volunteer in relief work if they were unable to help in their hometowns.

“I was trapped in my house for several days due to the flooding but luckily I didn’t have any damage,” said Rebecca Miller, a senior family and consumer sciences major. “I have some friends back home that I can’t go help because I am here on campus and this is my way of being able to help someone else that is going through the same things my friends are going through.”

One problem that arose with flood relief work is that dorm residents who had already moved back into housing did not think to bring flood relief supplies.

“In less than twenty-four hours, we put out a call since the students in the dorms didn’t think to bring work gloves and safety goggles with them,” said Cowser. “The community made some very generous donations in the first twenty-four hours to donate cleaning supplies and equipment for our students.”

Another group that rapidly responded to the disaster was led by senior high school student Kamren Powell from Saint Thomas Aquinas. Powell gathered some of her senior class, and with the help of teachers and the facilities of St. Albert the Great Chapel and Catholic Student Center, were able to create a clothing and supply station. 

“A few seniors had the idea to come together and help,” said Powell. “We found a location and came together through senior efforts. It is not as many people that are coming through here, but what we are doing is we will get calls in and we will get family sizes and we will make them a bag of clothes, shoes, whatever they need and we will send it out to them.”

According to Cowser, over 200 students came out on the first day of the three-day relief effort at Southeastern and multiple students came out and said that “they will put their heart and muscle in the region today. Sites ranged from Denham Springs, to Amite, to Robert, to Ponchatoula.”

Multiple students have seen groups come together as well as help community members in more ways than just relief work to those who had damage due to flooding. 

“I have been seeing so many groups at Southeastern get together and work as a team to bring Louisiana back strong again,” said senior general studies major Irene Marino. “It’s really nice to see people come together and be strong. I have been seeing different sororities and fraternities go out together. Right now CSA is getting together and going out there and cleaning houses and helping shelters. A couple of days ago some people and I cooked some food and bought it to the police department and different shelters.”

The range of relief work that students helped with varied from site to site. 

“When we arrived to the second house, I was expecting to see slightly damp floors and wet carpets like we saw at the first house we worked at,” said Marino. “Little did we know that the second house would be in worse conditions due to having four and a half feet of water. We were all shaken when we saw the entire house covered in a layer of muddy water. The homeowners told us that wearing masks was a must due to the strong mildew smell.”

Other volunteers are confident that even those who were flooded out can one day return their home to what it once was. 

“Initially, when we arrived on site, I couldn’t help but think, ‘What a beautiful home,’” said Sarah Easley, a sophomore criminal justice major. “There was a bit of sogginess about the place, but luckily, there did not seem to be any damage that can’t be repaired. After the home receives a little more TLC than we were able to provide today, I’m confident it can be restored to its former glory which is wonderful considering what a lovely old building it is.”

Other students learned that they could weather more than they thought in helping with recovery. 

“When I first saw the condition of the second house, I didn’t think I could handle working in the house due to the strong mildew smell,” said Marino. “Although the smell nauseated me, I forced myself to fight through it. In the end, I knew we all made a difference. This experience made me realize that I can fight through anything.”

Though volunteers realized that this was a time of tragedy, some are confident that the community will work together to create something positive out of the pain felt by residents who live in southern Louisiana.

“It is so great to see that the community has come together and gone out and helped people clean out their houses to start the process of rebuilding and getting things back straight,” said David Daniels, a freshman biology education major. “It is a time of heartache, but I think every time we send out a group of volunteers, it brings joy and hope to people for a bright future after a devastating flood.”

Powell believed that her senior class bonded in more ways than possible through helping those affected by the flood and was surprised at all the donations received. 

“As a Hammond community and a class community, we came together so much,” said Powell. “It is a sad way to start the year but it is a good way to build our STA family and bond as a class. We just had a huge outpouring of support that we didn’t expect and we didn’t expect as much to be donated. We were just expecting to come and have friends bring stuff and then it blew up through Facebook and Twitter and everything. Know that your community is very supportive of you.”

Some volunteers were surprised and yet pleased with how quickly the university was able to offer relief work. 

“Some people that I know that normally would not help out anyone, they sit at home a lot, I see even them getting up and going out and helping people,” said Miller. “I’m surprised how quickly Southeastern was able to pull something like this because I did not think something like this could be put together so quickly.”

According to Cowser, she was pleased with the spirit of the university since students were already sweating waiting to register to volunteer on the first of three days of relief work through the university.

“I think it is a huge testament to the spirit of our student body,” said Cowser. “I think everyone is on board and I think that is just a part of what makes Southeastern the wonderful university it is. People are willing to give up their own time. It is kudos to all those members of the student body that are willing to help the members of the regional community.”

Though there are still a number of sites that are in need of relief work, those who were able to help were glad that they had impacted and helped the sites they were able to go to. 

“When the job was done, we formed a circle and prayed over the homeowners,” said Marino. “It was a powerful moment. The homeowners couldn’t thank us enough. Seeing the smiles on their faces made it worth the hardship of working in the house. It’s heartwarming. I feel like the state has united more than ever these past few days. I know Louisiana will come back strong.”

After two days of relief work from the university’s campus, 389 hours of recovery work was logged in after day one, after day two, 58 sites had received work and on the third day, over 40 sites were still in need. 

With volunteer work needed in the upcoming months, some university students are already preparing for the opportunity as well as realizing how much the Lions do care about their community. 

“If I learned anything from this experience, it was that our community at the college is not as apathetic as I previously believed,” said Easley. “The only other thing I’d like to say is that I’m excited for another opportunity to volunteer because I know there’s a lot more work to be done.”

The flooding that took place last week touched much of southern Louisiana. One area that was impacted was Robert. While some residents gutted their houses, volunteers came together from Tangipahoa to help with volunteer work. 
The Lion's Roar/HeatherCollins