Help Hurricane Ida Survivors

Home Sweet Houma — What can I say about this place? My whole life was spent here until my late 20’s. I grew up on the Eastside of town and spent my summers swimming in the bayou. If I gave you the tour, the meals would take place in people’s homes more than in restaurants. I could guide you with my eyes closed. I joke about having moved away and not going back, but no matter where I go in life, Houma is home ... and she is shattered. My beloved home town took a direct hit from Hurricane Ida.

Power is out for over 1M people in South Louisiana. There is no running water. Homes are destroyed. Some lost everything.

Even though I’m 1200 miles away, there’s no way I could not be part of the recovery effort.

In the coming days, I’ll be coordinating a supply load and maybe a team for boots on the ground work. I'll link with a couple churches and some personal contacts to identify specific needs. As of now, there is no running water, electricity or gas. Many stores were wiped clean in preparation of the storm and some are now damaged and will lose their produce and cold goods due to no power. I will use these funds to load a trailer and my 15 passenger van full of supplies that will desperately be needed, as well as for practical needs I come across on the ground.

Here's one video documenting some of the devastation. I'll post more as my family comes back online and sends pictures.

EDIT: I'll continue to update the list below:
- Around the city: https://www.houmatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/08/30/photos-hurricane-ida-damage-around-houma/5655735001/
My old high school: https://www.facebook.com/billiotjr/posts/4575157585874780?__cft__[0]=AZUX8YIMrhCSbm6ZJHr9BUxs6DEcWBxaTbaHn-uZfU4htkJ9EfJvBCPJSHv4fWrHSbXBNbARiTph8EMYDk59RDVC0co18yAkgALFiKjH-4W9kVURaa8krI_dGahlss9v8mJWW_As0FPguYByeBb0qCStsXsL6KF5zLuGTcleIykELgxf36E2qEIeKV4NwNzhiGE&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Some of the basics I'll be collecting:

• Tarps
• Lumber
• Water
• Non-perishable food supplies
• Gas and gas cans
• Any other needs we hear about between now and when I leave

If you know me personally, and want to join the work hands-on, get in touch with me. I'll be headed down within 10 days.

For now, this GoFundMe campaign is the simplest and quickest to get a support effort off the ground. Every dime will go to people in Southeast Louisiana affected by Ida.

I know that my people are beyond resilient and won’t wait to rebuild. The work has already started. Rebuilding is the only option. We have done this before. We have helped others do it. We know loss and we know what it takes to rebuild.

I’d love for you to join in that effort. Whether or not you donate, share the post. Whatever you do, pray.

Who am I? My name is Jon Crappel. As I mention above, I was born and raised in South Louisiana. I'm heart-broken over the devastation that has occurred in my home state. I currently live in Minnesota and run a digital marketing agency called NATIV3 (named after my heritage — I'm a member of the United Houma Nation). NATIV3 made the first donation to this campaign. I made the second. I'm serious about this effort, and everything donated will make it to the appropriate destination. I’ll account for every expense and will be happy to show it to anyone who donates.

I'll be handling processing the funds to start, but if necessary, I'll pull in another coordinator to help with this aspect.