Update: November 20, 2012-
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod awarded RAI Ministries a grant of $8,400 to assist Pastor Terry and his wife. All of these funds have been passed along to the Terry’s to assist with rent and expenses while their home is being restored.
September 17, 2012-
Late last week, Kathy Wendling visited LaPlace, located about fifteen minutes west of the New Orleans Metro, where I-55 meets I-10.
She met with Pastor Jerome Terry and his wife, Dora, who had less than a foot of surge water in their house, though rain water came in through roof. Mold is coming down in some sections where the rain came through. All the flooring and sheetrock around the walls needs to be taken up.
They are waiting for their insurance adjuster to come back and settle their claim, even after two-plus weeks. They will likely have to rent someplace while getting it restored.
While receiving less than a foot of flooding inside while located at the highest point of their subdivision, other areas of their neighborhood received up to four feet or more of flooding.
Kathy says that just like in Braithwaite, the biggest thing right now is helping hands. While we’re seeing a great response from volunteer groups arriving Christmas-onwards, there remains a great need for more volunteers this Fall.
Another tree-cutting crew is in Camp, and upcoming volunteers are scheduled to work on gutting homes in Braithwaite in a week’s time. More groups are coming through October-onwards.
According to Pastor Terry, their neighborhood in LaPlace hadn’t flooded in at least fifty years. The Terry’s moved to LaPlace after losing their home in New Orleans to Hurricane Katrina.
Investigations and modeling are underway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine whether levee improvements since Katrina may have changed the surge risks for other communities, like LaPlace.
