Asheville helps Louisiana after flooding

Two All Hands Volunteers work to remove floors in a flood damaged home in Denham Springs, LA. 80 to 90% of the town's homes were damaged by flooding. Photo by Melissa Sheets

Some Asheville-area groups and companies are providing assistance after parts of Louisiana received over 21 inches of rain in two days earlier this month. From cash donations to volunteering on the ground, here are a few ways that Asheville residents can participate in relief efforts for flood victims.

Flood relief benefit at the Double Crown

Maddy and Her Big Nasty Pals will be performing Friday, Aug. 26 at Double Crown at 375 Haywood Road as part of the Louisiana Flood Victim Relief. Show starts at 6 p.m.

Hearts With Hands

Hearts With Hands mobilized volunteers shortly after news of the flooding and is focusing on help for Eunice, La., a small town northwest of Lafayette.

“What was so unreal, when we ended up in Eunice, is we were escorted in by the U.S. Marshall Service and they had already distributed that entire tractor trailer [of our donations] in less than an hour,” recounts Hearts With Hands president Dr. Greg Lentz. The organization has set up a distribution center in collaboration with Central Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, La., and is posting live updates from the region on their Facebook page. They plan to stay in the region throughout the next month.

Hearts With Hands is an Asheville-based humanitarian nonprofit that has provided disaster relief for 23 years. The organization is asking for donations of nonperishable food, baby items, hygiene kits, water and cleaning supplies, as well as cash donations. Donations can be brought to two drop-off locations: Trinity Baptist Church at 216 Shelburne Road in Asheville, and the Hearts With Hands warehouse at 850 Warren Wilson Road in Swannanoa. Donations can also be made through www.heartswithhands.org.

Imladris Farm

Walter Harrill, the co-owner of Imladris Farm in Fairview, will be taking water and food to affected areas on Aug. 27. Harrill is coordinating with the United Way and independent Louisiana shelters and distribution centers that have directly expressed a need for potable water. He has teamed up with California-based BCU Plastics, which has donated thousands of half-gallon potable water containers. For transport, Harrill has packed the water-filled containers in cardboard boxes donated by Custom Packaging in Arden.

After announcing his plan, Harrill says other businesses stepped up to contribute to the effort. “Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview donated a large quantity of beef jerky sticks,” he notes. To donate to his effort, go here.

All Hands Volunteers

For those who are able to travel to Louisiana in person, Massachusetts-based All Hands Volunteers is calling for volunteers to join Louisiana Flood Response, which is currently basing its efforts out of the New Covenant Church in Denham Springs, La. The organization is training volunteers to gut and clean damaged homes at no cost to homeowners, which saves them money and labor in the recovery process. Sherry Buresh, the organization’s director of U.S. Disaster Response, says 80 to 90 percent of homes in Denham Springs have been damaged — typically by 7-8 feet of floodwater. Vulnerable populations like the elderly, single mothers and those with disabilities have most frequently sought out assistance from All Hands Volunteers.

Buresh says the region still has a desperate need for volunteers willing to provide manual labor. “This isn’t just a normal flood, and I’m not so sure that the rest of the world realizes how many people have been impacted,” she says. “Every street has piles of debris almost as high as the houses, and you look at it and realize that [those piles] are people’s lives. Everything they’ve owned and worked for is laying on the curb and ready to be thrown away.”

Volunteers do not need to have prior construction experience, but must have a positive work ethic and be able to pay for travel to and from Louisiana. All Hands Volunteers provides basic housing, three meals on workdays, free training and personal protective equipment, and logistical support. Since the effort is being funded by donations, Buresh encourages those who are unable to travel to donate to the cause. To sign up to be a volunteer or to donate to Louisiana Flood Response, go to www.hands.org. The organization plans to continue working in the area through Oct. 15.

 

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Eliza Stokes
Eliza Stokes holds a B.A. in Creative Writing and Global Studies from Warren Wilson College. She received the 2016 Larry Levis Award for outstanding manuscript on behalf of the Warren Wilson MFA Program and has read for the Juniper Bends Reading Series. Eliza is a freelance writer and editor based in Asheville.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Asheville helps Louisiana after flooding

  1. Lulz

    Better make sure to CONTRACT with the Red Cross. Otherwise all your donated stiff including medicine will simply be tossed away. It’s a reason why costs are out of control, why non-profits are nothing more than a disease that needs to be eradicated and why the nation is spiraling down the drain, The government and those within it, associated with it, or living off it is insane.

    https://www.facebook.com/beth.houghton2/posts/10154313584511181?pnref=story

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.