Help for the United Houma Nation

We humans are so strange. You would think I had really learned something from living in an area that was ignored for the most part following Hurricane Katrina. I guess deep-down we're all perfectly capable of being ego-centric and blind to all that doesn't affect us directly.

(Photo: Gustav damage from the United Houma Nation website)

Thanks again to the blogging world for not letting it happen for long. My apologies for taking so long to pick up on this and spread the word: The people of the Houma Nation need help.

From Brenda Dardar Robichaux, Principal Chief Houma Nation:

"Friday morning was the first day that I was allowed access to Isle de Jean Charles. A first responder brought me pictures the night before, but I had not yet seen the Island personally. So my husband Mike, my 11 year old daughter Felicite and I, wearing our rubber boots, headed to Isle de Jean Charles, one of the hardest hit communities. Island Road, the highway that leads to the settlement, lay covered with dead trout, drum and red fish. We parked our truck at the beginning of the Island and walked several miles to the end. The pictures did not prepare me for what I was about to see. We witnessed homes off their foundations that had floated on levees and piles of rubble that were once homes. After years of coastal erosion and without a good protection levee this community was very fragile. Hurricane Gustav showed no mercy. I became very angry that something had not been done sooner to protect the barrier islands that would have given my community a fighting chance. I remember stories told to me of how there were acres of land on which children played baseball, and pastures where horses roamed. To see the state of the Island now was overwhelming.

Of the 100 or so people who live on the Island we met with approximately 4 families. The rest had not yet returned to see the fate of their homes. We stopped at what was left of every home, walking through a foot of swamp mud and leaving contact information so that we could try to offer assistance.

As we approached the end of Island, we saw a stark contrast as camps owned my non residents were often left totally intact, without any visual signs of damage. We met one of the camp owners on his was out who exclaimed that although the hurricane was bad he thought it was going to be a lot worse. He must have repeated those thoughts a half dozen times. I could not believe what he was telling me. NOT THAT BAD…COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE…FOR WHOM? Surely not the residents of the Island!"

(more...)

To help the Houma, send tax-deductible donations to:

United Houma Nation Relief Fund
20986 Highway 1
Golden Meadow LA 70357

Supplies may also be sent directly to:

Old Store Relief Center
4400 LA Hwy 1
Raceland LA 70394

Among the items most needed: non-perishable food, water, flashlights, batteries, gloves, boots, shovels, large garbage bags, cleaning supplies, fans, tarps, tree and debris removal equipment & supplies, personal hygiene items, ice chests, first aid kits, gas gift cards, Walmart gift cards, generators, Depends, Ensure, baby formula, diapers, and baby wipes.