11 days after Hurricane Laura, people along Gulf Coast still need your help

Hurricane Laura ripped across the Lousiana coast just under two weeks ago as a Category 4 storm, with winds topping out around 150 mph. The severity of the storm caused devastation to families and the destruction of homes and businesses.

Red Cross volunteer Sally Wilsey has spent the past two weeks in Lousiana surveying the damage.

“The homes are still demolished, people are still without roofs on some of their homes,” Wilsey said.

Her job is to help those who have had their homes destroyed find a place to stay, but with the coronavirus pandemic continuing, shelter is scarce.

“You could only have the area six feet apart from each other, so that cut down, I would say close to 50 percent of what you could normally have in there,” said Wilsey.

Not only have the coronavirus restrictions limited capacity in shelters, but it has also slowed recovery efforts as well, according to Wilsey.

“They have the electricians out there working 24/7 and people cutting trees too. It’s just so much damage in one specific area, and they can’t take everyone with them,” she said.

“Well, we need to help out here, and we need it. We appreciate everything that we are getting, but we still need the help,” said Dale Cloud of Lousiana.

There are now four disturbances swirling in the tropics, so Wilsey has some advice.

“Get everything ready for the next round. I hope it doesn’t happen, but just in case, we’re all preparing,” she said.

Wilsey will be ready to help everyone with anyone with whatever comes next.

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More than 100,000 people in Lake Charles still do not have power or reliable water 11 days after Hurricane Laura hit.

The American Red Cross says they got fewer donations than expected based on the severity of the storm. If you’d like to donate, you can do so by following this link.