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navy & army with thousands of boats at the ready, the cajun navy jumped into action to help their fellow neighbors. they navigated the flood waters and rescued thousands of louisian- ians despite many of them also losing their homes
and belongings during the flooding. the cajun army has also played a signifi - cant role in helping families with demo and clean up. laundry angels multitudes of women lended their hands and their washers to help out friends and family. they treated clothes with pine sol and borax, then washed and folded loads upon loads. these angels loaded up their cars with smelly, wet clothes and then dropped them off dry and folded in baskets and bins. celtic studios who knew a movie studio would be a shelter? the soundstages that once held tom cruise and robert pattinson became temporary homes to thousands of evacu- ees. celtic studios opened its doors and distributed donations for the many individu- als and families who fled the flood. cajun rosies you may know rosie the riveter, a familiar archetype of world war ii, but do you know south louisiana?s cajun rosies? these women donned baseball caps, t-shirts, shorts, and boots to use their muscles to help others in need. some made pb&j?s to deliver to hungry homeowners in the midst of cleanup and demo. others grabbed hammers and demoed right alongside them. still others watched friends? and fam- ily members? kids in times of need. ingenu - ity, kindness, and strength are what we will remember from our cajun rosies! piles on piles on piles a drive through most neighborhoods in baton rouge, livingston, and ascension in- cludes every house?s furniture, belongings, sheetrock, and insulation piled in the front yards. we have never seen so many piles of stuff. the homes are emptied and stripped, their contents now crowding the sidewalks. the smell dead fish? dead animals? mildew? wetness? all of these combined to create a powerful odor that emanated all across our parishes. it still lingers. unforgettable, for sure. skeleton walls
after the cleanout comes the demo! homes are now cut in increments of two feet. a common conversation heard around the city is ?how high did y?all have to cut? we had to go up to four feet.? the walls we accepted as permanent are now gone, creating clear lines of sight from room to room. one of the most awkward situations of skeleton walls is the lack of privacy in the bathrooms. everyone can see you! it?s our turn, hgtv! for years you have been watching home renovation shows like property brothers and fixer upper , and you?ve imagined en- gineering your own demo and renovation. you may not have imagined these condi- tions, racing against mold, but it?s your turn to kick in walls and rip out cabinets. get your pinterest boards ready and brush up on your hgtv bingeing because it?s your turn to create a fresh new look! flood finds whether it was salvaging water-logged photos or stumbling upon old family pics while packing up, all of us have gotten some good memory lane time during this catastrophe. wedding photos, childhood memories, and plenty of throwbacks have been shared countless times on social me- dia the past couple of weeks, bright spots in the darkness. donations as the number of flood victims climbed, those spared banded together to gather toiletries, towels, blankets, clothes, tools, and supplies. all of the donations rolled #brflood: what we?ll never forget 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 58 brparents.com | september 2016
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