Gonzales SDA Church

The Gonzales SDA Church is collecting donations on behalf of it's members and their extended families that have been affected by the recent flooding in Ascension Parish.  80% of our members have been effected directly by the flooding.  This means they have lost most of what they own, homes, belongings, vehicles, businesses, etc... 

John Edwards, the Governor of Louisiana, called the disaster a "historic, unprecedented flooding event", and declared a state of emergency. The flood has been called the worst US natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The "no name" storm dumped 3 times as much rain on LA as Hurricane Katrina.

See an aerial view of the flooding https://youtu.be/lkbl-fPJmdo

The other 20% of our members have been impacted in the sense that they have taken in as many as they can hold in their own homes, to provide a place for them to stay while they are trying to piece their lives and homes back together.  We have a church member that has taken in 16 flood victims, 3 dogs, 2 cats, a rabbit and a guinea pig.  They also fortunately had a rental property that escaped the flooding and was in between renters so they are letting 2 additional families share that home.

Please keep in mind these are not flood prone areas.  Most of these people do not have flood insurance, which can be quite costly and if you are not in a flood plane would seem none essential.  It is undeniable that we have in recent years had several biblical weather type events all over the country and the world in fact.  None of us are safe from mother nature, she is furious and unpredictable.

The devastation is nearly unimaginable.  It looks like something you would see in a movie.  It has taken some time just for the reality to sink in and then to start thinking about how to move forward from here.  There are so many families that have lost simply everything they owned.  When you have water up to the roof line of your home there is very little that can be salvaged.  Many necessities can be replaced but of course that all requires money.  It's the sentimental things that are the most heart breaking.  All of the Baby First mementoes, the grade school art projects, and all of the precious photographs taken before the "cloud".  These things can't be replaced. 

Just imagine waking up one morning and ripping out all of the drywall and insulation in your home and carrying all of your furniture and personal items to the curb.  No one in their right mind would do that, but that is just what our members have had to do.  Everything they own is in a soggy heap out by the curb.  






For many of our members this will be a financial disaster.  We have members that own businesses and rental properties.  FEMA has come to "help", but we all know this is pretty much a joke.  They don't just give you money, they give you a low interest federal loan.  So imagine you have a home which already has a mortgage on it and now you have to go get another loan to make the home you are already making payments on livable so you have a place to lay your head at night.  So now you are making two mortgage payments on the same home.  You will be upside down in the home, meaning you could never sell it for what you owe on it.  You may even have to declare bankruptcy because now you can't make two mortgage payments, but now you have a federal loan which bankruptcy will not relieve you from.  In addition to that you are only eligible for one loan for your personal home.  So if you have several rental properties or a business they are not eligible for funding.  So you've worked very hard your whole life, you've wisely invested in real estate, to support you in retirement, and now all of those assets are wiped out! 

We would like to thank you in advance for your donations!

If you would like to send a donation directly to the church, you can mail it directly to the address below.  If you would like to earmark your donation to a specific church member please put their name in the comment section of your donation or the memo line of your check, if mailed directly.  We will do our best to get them where designated.  If you don't have a specific person in mind please put "flood" on the memo line of checks mailed to the church.

Donations can be mailed to:

Gonzales SDA Church
200 East Cornerview
Gonzales, LA 70737

Once, again, thank you so much, every dollar will make a difference!



This was after the waters had started to recede.  It was several feet higher at its peak.




All of these photos are of our church members homes and family graveyards.

We appreicate everyone's contributions, prayers and help during this difficult time.  God Bless You
I'm Robin Broussard the Treasurer of the Gonzales SDA Church.  I live in the same effected area as the church members who have been effected.  In either Gonzales or Prairieville Louisiana.  My relationship to the individuals who are effected by this flood:  They are either fellow church members, some are family members, who are also church members. 
The funds will be used for the effected members to buy goods or services to fix up their homes.  They will need to purchase sheetrock, paint, cabinets, appliances and etc. 
The withdrawn amounts from this account will be placed in the Gonzales Seventh day Adventist bank account that is connected to this account and given out by way of check to the effected flood victims that are members of our church.