SLIDELL, La. — While it’s easy to forget the aftermath of last Wednesday’s severe weather, Angelena Pepper still has three holes in her roof after three trees crashed into her granddaughter’s bedroom, soaking everything inside.
“It’s pretty devastating,” Angelena Pepper said. “When it first happened, it was like I don’t know what’s next.”
Across town, Antoinette Scott still has a tree on her car, which she fears may be totaled.
“I looked out my window, and oh my god, two trees done fell on my truck,” Antoinette Scott said.
The United Way fundraiser to help people like these two single grandmothers has stalled.
CEO Michael Williamson says it’s been difficult to meet the great need on the Northshore.
“The recovery here is going to be significant,” Williamson said.
After a tornado devastated St. Bernard Parish in 2022, United Way of Southeast Louisiana raised over $70,0000. Since Wednesday, donations for St. Tammany have totaled just around $5,000.
“When people are exposed to people that are suffering in crisis, they want to help, and we know that's going be the case here,”
That’s why Williamson is encouraging people to donate.
“We need the community, the region, the state support. The country is often come to our aid and we need them now more than ever,” Williamson said.
For Scott and Pepper, the rebuilding will take time and patience..
“It is financially straining because you have to wait,” Peppers said.
To donate to United Way, click here.
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