We drove down to southern Louisiana to help Vidya try to salvage what she could from her home that got hit with the storm surge from Hurricane Rita.  The town she lives in – Abbeville, Louisiana – is approximately 15 miles inland and about 50 miles east of where the eye of the storm hit.

As we traveled further south and west, getting closer to where the eye of the storm hit, the landscape looked more and more like a tsunami had struck.   Homes were pushed many feet from their foundations – others were completely gone.  Huge trees were uprooted and debris was thrown all about.  There were many areas that were still flooded even after two weeks.  Everywhere we went, there was complete stillness with no life left – except alligators and the mosquitoes which were unbelievable.

We spoke with a few National Guardsmen who said that when they arrived, they helped to clean off the roads and remove all the dead livestock.  There were even cows stuck up in trees that had drowned.  The water level was so high that it pushed them into the trees.  When the water receded, they got stuck in the branches.  The Guardsmen also said they had to recover coffins that had floated up from their graves.  Farther down, in one town that was completely wiped out (Cameran, Louisiana) there were absolutely no structures left, and many coffins and skeletal remains were scattered around because the coffins had opened up.

All of the homes in this area were severely damaged and cannot be lived in.  No one is able to stay here so there is virtually no noise – it’s so quiet.   The people we did meet were living in campers or staying several miles north with friends.

We were really shocked that so much damage had occurred this far inland from the sea.   While the exteriors of most homes looked intact, the interiors were completely wiped out.  The sea had surged inside these homes filling them with debris and sludge.  Even if the residents consider moving back, they will have to completely gut their homes and rebuild all the walls, floors, ceilings, etc.  Many will have to tear their entire home down.

When we reached Vidya’s home we tried to salvage what we could before we fell through the floors that were covered in sludge and were starting to cave in.   Even though her home sits two feet off the ground, there was mold 3-4 feet up the wall, indicating that the water levels had reached more than 5 feet here.   We were able to recover her dishes, some small items, and most of her clothes which survived because they were hanging up high.

Her home will have to be bulldozed and she will not be able to move back unless she rebuilds on the property – which she cannot afford to do.  This is a very common situation.  All the communities around this area have huge piles of their belongings piled out in front of their homes.   This is so FEMA (the federal agency that will be providing financial relief to the victims) can assess the damage and provide appropriate aid. She has received some financial assistance from the government so far, but to get more, she has to go through tons and tons of paperwork, phone calls, etc…

Others are now helping Vidya clean out the debris because she needs to have everything out of her home before they can bulldoze it down.  Everywhere you go in these communities, there are piles and piles of debris that were hauled to the street.

Our sons Mangalan (age 10) and Nealu (age 8) were greatly moved by the experience.  Says Mangalan,  “It made me sad to think about all these people that lost their homes and all their belongings.  I felt like I wanted to help the victims of Hurricane Rita. “

Nealu (age  8, in photo on left, with another boy in the Satsang group) commented, “I saw a lot of houses that were knocked down, and that made me feel sad because all the people had to get out of their homes, and then when they came back and wanted to stay at their homes, they couldn’t.  I also felt sad because all the beavers and cows were swept away and got caught in trees, and had oil on them.  It made me feel good to help film with Amrita TV, because it is for Amma.”

Now that we are back in Dallas, Jeff and I are trying to organize an effort to get devotees to help with more clean up/ rebuilding in south Louisiana.

We are speaking, at this time, to a center in Abbeville that is helping with relief efforts all around that area.  I feel that it is our dharma to keep these efforts fluid within our Satsang and our region of devotees.  We can’t forget about these people.  They need our help!

– Manasvini