Helping Em & Madie after Hurricane Laura

My name is Patti Rupert-DiBono.  My daughter, Emily Sakalauskas, and her wife, Madie, live in Lake Charles, Louisiana. This week has been a whirlwind for my girls. On Monday, Em and Madie were scurrying to try to gather their most treasured possessions and important papers. After work on Tuesday,  they were packing their car and driving to safety in northern Arkansas. And then they waited to hear and see the devastation of hurricane Laura.  Hurricane Laura ripped a path of destruction through Lake Charles.  Thankfully, the town was spared from the predicted storm surges, but the hurricane destroyed the power grid and water treatment plant. Power is not expected to be restored for at least four weeks. I haven't heard about the water supply yet. Early on, the girls saw a video of their apartment complex.  The buildings in front were heavily damaged.  At first, it appeared that their building sustained minimal damage; the girls were relieved. They were looking forward to being able to return to their home in the future. Today, a friend went in to their apartment to make a first hand assessment. It wasn't pretty. The roof is caving in, there is water on the floors, and everything is molding in the Louisiana heat and humidity.  As you can imagine, the girls are riddled with fear and anxiety as they face an uncertain future. Em will not have a job to go back to; the roof fell in over her office and without power and water, the hospital is transferring their patients. Madie's office building seems to be okay so far, but a final determination hasn't been made.  Thankfully, southwestern Louisiana is now declared a federal disaster making them eligible for assistance from FEMA. That is a federal process and takes a bit of time and there is no guarantee how much assistance Em and Madie are eligible for. Em and Madie could really use a little help to get them through this. They need a few dollars for temporary lodging, gas, food, and to begin to get started over. This is their wedding year. Then the virus struck. Their Pennsylvania wedding celebration and trip got canceled because of the virus.  Now this, a total loss. I know it is a difficult time for everyone. Please consider donating what you can; your support would mean the world to them. Your thoughts and prayers for my girls and all of the people of southwest Louisiana is so greatly appreciated.