KENNER, La. — Days after Hurricane Francine overtopped canals and knocked out power to thousands, many Kenner residents are still recovering. At a food giveaway Saturday, hundreds of cars lined up for groceries, and dozens of volunteers showed up to load them.
“This is what we do,” said Melody Lawson, “anytime there's a natural disaster, anyway that we can help our community, we're always there.”
Lawson’s own family was a victim of the storm. While she bagged, boxed, and loaded groceries, her husband was at home dealing with their flood-damaged house.
“Coming here today I saw the line, and like 500 hundred cars, and it really put things in perspective that it could have been so much worse for us,” she said.
Antoine Lawson showed WWL Louisiana the inside of their home. It backs up to Canal No. 12, and during the storm, it overtopped and poured right into the Lawsons’ living room.
They grabbed their 14-gallon vacuum pump, but “it was like vacuuming up the ocean,” he said. “It was coming in as fast as I was putting it out and we were pretty much helpless at that point.”
As the water kept rising, all Antoine and Melody could do was grab as many things as they could and try to keep their two young children calm. “Of course, they weren't around for Hurricane Katrina but they heard the stories, they heard about the drownings,” he said.
Once the water was about a foot deep, it finally stopped coming in. It took the Lawsons all night to pump out their house while the canals slowly drained.
The next day, it was clear damage had been done. The walls are buckled, the floors may need to be replaced, and “they weren't able to save computers, our clothes, rugs, we lost some furniture, some of our electronic items, the kids' things,” said Anthony Lawson, “but nothing that can’t be replaced.”
As they surveyed their own losses, the Lawsons knew their neighbors would need help too. When they found out about the food giveaway at their church, they knew what to do.
“We didn't even hesitate when we got the call,” said Melody Lawson. “It was time to go.”
If you would like to donate to families affected by Francine, the Second Harvest Food Bank has a form set up here.
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