( ENSPIRE News ) Aftermath of Hurricane Laura and How to Help
ENSPIRE Contributor: WaTeasa Freeman
On Aug. 26th, 2020, an “unsurvivable” storm headed for the United States Gulf Coast. Hurricane Laura made land connections in Cameron, La., with wind speeds over 110 mph. This storm was one for the history books. This storm season, there were eight hurricanes and 23 tropical storms. However, due to the current state of the world, both politically and medically, Hurricane Laura wasn’t given a lot of media attention.
Rapper and entrepreneur Romeo Miller was on Fox Soul’s show as a host, “The Mix,” who speaks about the media overlooking the storm in the media. Miller is a New Orleans, La., native, and experienced first hand the effects of the storm. Miller continues telling about his charity, “Team Hope,” and receiving donations. The conversations about Hurricane Laura are important, and people don’t know how to help since it’s not highlighted as much as the other news stories.
Hurricane Laura came in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, which put a hindrance on resource availability. Shelters couldn’t accept as many people as they have in the past to maintain social distancing and personal safety. Many citizens are still stocking up on essential items like bottled water and tissue, which limits the resources available to those in need. The hurricane also happened in the middle of the Republican Nationalist Convention. Most news sources were covering this event, which led to the overshadowing of Laura Hurricane.
The government is also limiting resources for those impacted, according to the Associated Press, Wednesday, Sept. 23th is the end of the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. This program provided food assistance to families who do not regularly receive food stamps. It began to help with loss of income and food as a result of Laura Hurricane. It is being taken away less than a month after the storm, where many are still trying to rebuild their homes and re-establish living.
Learn how to donate to those affected by the hurricane. Here are links to organizations dedicated to helping, American Red Cross, NOLA Ready, Salvation Army, and Houston TX.
