Taking Care of Each Other
In August, the state of Louisiana was hit by some of the worst flooding on record. Heavy rains dumped an estimated 7 trillion gallons of water in and around Baton Rouge and Lafayette, more than three times as much rain as in Hurricane Katrina. It was enough to fill Lake Pontchartrain four times. More than 60,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. More than 30,000 people had to be rescued. Thirteen people lost their lives.
It was an extraordinary event. But for the women of Alpha Sigma Tau, along with thousands of people in southeastern Louisiana, it appealed to the most ordinary of instincts – helping your neighbor.
Across the area, Alpha Sigma Taus opened their homes, helped clean up, provided food and shelter, and simply checked up on their Sisters. Among them were three alumnae from the Phi Chapter (Southeastern Louisiana University) – Kari Stentiford, Genie Carter Powers, and Suzy Carter Sharp. Luckily, their homes were spared and they, along with many others, could help those less fortunate.
“We did what everyone did, which was help.” recalls Kari. “We took care of each other. It’s something you just do.”
“There was unbelievable destruction down here,” says Genie. “Bayous and creeks run through everything. The water has to go somewhere when you get 30 inches of rain in two days. Before you know it, the water is up your street.”
Kari, Genie, and Suzy got right to work. They helped Sisters and others move into temporary homes and ripped up carpet, insulation, and sheetrock. They cleaned up debris. “We helped wherever we could,” says Suzy. “It didn’t matter what the situation was. We just got in there, and got things done. Everybody did.”
They also monitored each other, calling Sisters, friends, and family to check in and offer support. “Cell service went down,” recalls Kari. “So we used Facetime instead. During Hurricane Katrina, we lost track of Sisters. We vowed to not let that happen again.”
“We all live within 10 minutes of each other,” says Genie. “We wanted to make sure our friends were OK.”
Today, only two months later, there is still a lot of work to do – and Kari, Genie, Suzy, and all the others are still on the job. “It’s very emotional when people leave the decision of what to do with their lifelong possessions in your hands,” says Suzy. “People lost everything. It’s still going on, and there are still ways to give.”