LAFITTE, La. — There was a mix of emotions Tuesday in Lafitte.
Susan Smith was one of the may people who lined up to get everything from cleaning supplies to dog food to a hot meal from the United Way. It was one of the first times the Crown Point resident came this far since Hurricane Ida and she was saddened by what she saw.
"This is the first chance I got to see the church,” Smith said.
The devastation brought her to tears, but the help was equally moving in an area that feels forgotten since the storm.
"It is tight knit, but we need the rest of our country to help us,” Smith said.
Saints Defensive End Cam Jordan was among those asking people not to forget the ravaged coastal communities, and he brought a bit of joy to those who have had so little to be happy about recently.
"There's still so much debris, there's still so much hurt going on," Jordan said. "We've got a long way to come back."
Also helping out, Eyewitness news viewers like you.
The United Way of Southeast Louisiana now has $2.5 million for Ida relief, a lot of which has come from donations from Channel 4 viewers. The station added another $37,000 to that tally Tuesday.
“It allows us to be boots on the ground,” Michael Williamson, president and CEO United Way of Southeast Louisiana, said. “We keep saying we're boots on the ground, we're moving at the speed of need. We're taking supplies, we're getting them down to communities like Lafitte, or Grand Isle, or up in Tangipahoa. We're trying to get people the things they need as quick as we can."
"We all heard loud and clear the one thing that was really concerning for a lot of the people is that they'd be forgotten. We made a promise we weren't going to do that,” WWL-TV General Manager Tod Smith said.
You can still donate, just text the word “GIVE” to 504-529-4444 or visit the United Way of Southeast Louisiana’s website here.