RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia volunteers joined the disaster response for the unprecedented flooding in Louisiana caused by more than twenty inches of rain.
Eleven people have died, 40,000 homes have been damaged, and more than 20,000 people and pets were rescued from the waters.
Baton Rouge resident Linda Sivils told CBS 6 via Skype, “It's probably one of the most frightening things I've ever been through.”
Sivils was born and raised in Louisiana and has seen her fair share of hurricanes.
When asked if she had ever seen anything like the flooding happening around her, she responded, “No, not in my entire life. I don't think anyone here has.”
Bernadette Jay, External Communications Manager with the Red Cross, said 26 of their Virginia volunteers joined the response.
She added, “The Red Cross is there. We're going to support that community. We were supporting that community long before the floods happened. We will support them during the flooding. We will also be there during recovery.”
That recovery is a multi-million dollar effort. That’s why the Red Cross is asking for help in the form of donations and volunteers.
Sivils said it is heartwarming to see all the support from across the country.
“People from other towns and cities and even states have come to help. It just makes you tear up,” she said.
You can donate at redcross.org, by calling 1-800-RED CROSS, or texting “LAFLOODS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
