The Great Flood of 2016

7:31 AM

I've honestly sat down several times within the past week trying to put into words what my new home of Baton Rouge, LA has gone through. As you read this please know this a correlation of how Drew and I experienced what is now known as, "The Great Flood of 2016."

There are no words, simply none for the devastation that has swept through Louisiana the past week. I had no idea when I went to bed on Thursday night that the rain that was falling would cause so much destruction. Friday morning we woke up to flood warnings, schools and businesses closing and the news stations warning us not to venture out unless it was an emergency. At the time Drew and I still had not been notified by our supervisors or LSU if we still needed to report to work. As we ventured towards campus there were no signs of flooding but you could tell the rain was not going to let up. When we made it onto campus we received notification that LSU would be shutting down for the day so we quickly drove by Drew's office so he could pick up something and then we went to breakfast. While at breakfast we enjoyed ourselves, decided to run to the store to pick up a few snacks to enjoy on our day off and even decided we'd make a quick stop into HomeGoods. We made it home, settled in and began to enjoy what we thought would be a relaxing 3 day weekend.

Saturday morning came and it was still raining and not a light rain, a hard steady rain. Flooding had begun but no major destruction had taken place yet from what we were aware of. There was no flooding taking place in our apartment complex so we thought all was fine. We didn't really see any effects of it until we ventured out to the store and we saw utter chaos ensuing of people stocking up on supplies. We however we're still lucky to be in an area that was seeing no signs of water pooling anywhere. However Saturday evening the rain let up and we woke up Sunday morning to no rain whatsoever. Sunday we started to venture out and what we saw left us speechless. There was simply no words and there were so many emotions that you didn't know whether to cry or laugh because you couldn't determine if this was really real life. As we drove out to try and save one of Drew's coworkers we soon realized that unless we had a boat there was no way to get to her. Once she was to safety we drove to the shelter they had put into place and I had never seen so many carrying what they had left of their life in trash bags. I witnessed a military chopper land, unload a large amount of people then rise back into the air to go and rescue more. I found out via Facebook that a dear friend and coworker had to evacuate her home and her out of state family was trying to get into contact with her but couldn't due to the fact that phone service was non-existent. Not knowing whether your loved ones are safe is one of the scariest things I have ever experienced. If i'm being completely honest though, the past week has been a complete whirlwind, it still doesn't seem real but sadly it is.

As the water has receded the rebuild now begins. Through all the destruction and devastation I can honestly say I have never been more proud to live somewhere. This city is simply amazing. Seeing total strangers come together to help those in need is the most heartwarming thing to witness. People aren't asking, they're doing...whatever it takes to help those in need. Baton Rouge and surrounding areas have a long road ahead of rebuilding. Families are putting their entire lives back together and even with all the help from the community we still need more.

If you would like to contribute financial assistance or donate items to those in need please see below.

Red Cross - text "LAFLOODS" to 90999
Salvation Army of Greater Baton Rouge - Click here 
Cajun Navy T-shirt - Click here
If you would like to send monetary donations or items to victims Drew and I personally know please email me at megancanblog@gmail.com and I'll provide you with additional information to do so.

One thing is for sure, we're Baton Rouge proud and Louisiana Strong.


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1 comments

  1. It's amazing the devastation flooding can cause. So glad to hear that you guys have been able to stay safe!

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate every single comment so much! It means the world to me & brightens up my day! I will try my very, very hardest to respond back to you! Hope you all have a fabulous day!

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