Hurricane Ida Clean-up Ongoing

Featured Photo: Donning yellow Helping Hands t-shirts, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ volunteers from the Richardson, Texas area pause work for a commemorative photo. Photo by Ben Roper.

Weeks after Hurricane Ida arrived on Aug 29, 2021, Louisiana homeowners are still in great need of assistance. Volunteers from the Richardson area congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints drove to the hard-hit regions of the state over the Sept 18^th weekend to assist in any way needed. Many requests for help come from those who cannot take on the heavy tasks themselves or hire the help they need. 

FEMA officials provide resources to the homeowners, one of which is a phone number for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to submit work order requests. When the Church of Jesus Christ volunteers arrive at the large command center set up in the area, they are grouped into teams, given supplies, safety instructions, and a list of homeowners to contact. The teams make calls to the homeowners and head to their homes to assist. Many roofs were damaged, and there is a great need for tarps for cover to prevent further damage. Roof and ceiling insulation is water-soaked and needs removal, as do carpets and floor tiles in which mold has started to grow in the damp environment. Other homeowners have fallen trees that need to be cut into pieces and moved to the front of the property, where waste companies can pick up the debris.

Church of Jesus Christ volunteers from the Garland 4^th congregation, while assisting an 85-year-old resident with a fallen tree, noticed neighbors struggling to haul damaged furniture from their home and volunteered to assist them, also. Although not on an official work order, volunteers lend a Helping Hand wherever they see a need.

The residents are so grateful for the assistance, many saying the volunteers had “lightened their load” and brought relief when they had health concerns that kept them from doing what was needed for themselves. One homeowner told Ben Roper of Wylie 4th congregation that “she believes God has a plan for her because she is being taken care of, and we were an answer to her prayers for help. An 88-year-old neighbor came by to say that in all his years, he has never seen anything like us coming to help, and he wanted to thank us, too.”

Volunteers stated that they were very happy to have been able to help. They enjoyed the camaraderie and some unusual sights like alligator “roadkill.” Local volunteers in the area chipped in to support the aid workers with food, and Jason McBride said that one of the perks on the trip was being able to enjoy some authentic Louisiana Jambalaya!