This is worse than I could ever imagine. After riding around and looking at the piles of trash, drywall, furniture and other debris from so many homes, I was so depressed that all I could do was pray for all those families and individuals that have been wiped out. I also continue to thank God for getting my family and immediate relatives through with out much loss. We had one niece that went under and several of my wifes co-workers. We have been doing our part to help all of them.
The whole area, not just Baton Rouge, but many of the parishes on the east side of the river (Miss.) were 30 to 95% under water at some time in the last week. Many, south and east of Baton Rouge, are still under water. Many thousands are still in shelters. We have seen some quick response from the state and FEMA, unlike during Katrina, which is good.
The new Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, has been excellent in his handling of the event and got FEMA in here quickly, along with the National Guard, which has been super during the rescue stage and they continue to help. The Coast Guard also plucked many people from rooftops and out of the waters. The people of the community have been helping each other. Private boat owners have pitched in to rescue many people.
The bad thing is, only a few of the people that got flooded have Flood Insurance. I have heard that only about 20-30% of the flooded people have the insurance to cover their losses. Many, many people that got flooded were in areas outside of any flood zone.
We have been in a flood zone since 2012, and were required to have it. We had never had water on our street, but with 24 inches of rain in 4 days, we got plenty of water in our yard, right up to the front door.
My granddaughter lost her handbag with all of their important papers, cash money, credit cards, jewelry, and two designer hand bags while she was being evacuated by the National Guard. When she discovered the bag was missing, she and my wife started to backtrack to find it. Asking several police stations and staging area supervisors if the bag had been turned in. A day later, the phone rang and a young lady from the National Guard said she had the bag. She had already called the bank and canceled the debit card, and she had all to the cash and other papers! What a blessing! The young lady would not accept any amount of reward. All she said was, “I just want you to know there are some good people left in this world”. Thank God for that young lady.