Home Flooded; Lost Everything
Donation protected
My name is Linda Allred. I am a widow of 3+ years and operate my business out of my home in Baton Rouge, LA. I am a best selling author, certified hypnotist expert, and the founder of The Hottest Ticket in Town and Cracking The Weight Loss Code.
The purpose of this GoFundMe request is to help me get my business back up and running. I have nothing ... not even a pencil. I really need 2 of most everything - desk, chair, paper, printer, computer, etc., so my Office Manager and I can get back to work. My plans are to move back into my home by Christmas, hopefully.
I love my job and I love helping people and I would be forever grateful for any amount you are able to donate.
The “1,000-year flood of 2016” that hit my community of Baton Rouge, August 14th, has literally taken me, as well as the people in the 20 surrounding parishes, to our knees as the muddy, brown, water flooded our communities and claimed all of our worldly possessions.
I personally received 5 feet of water into my beautiful 47-year-old home along with my vehicle. Everything I own is sitting in front of my home in a pile of wet, broken, stinking, smelling trash. All that is left in my home is 3 commodes and studs as the sheetrock and flooring has been removed to avoid mold.
This is my story...
Sunday, August 14th, the morning of the flood I woke up at 3:17 a.m. when my generator kicked on. I smiled to myself as I realized that I would have electricity. I never go to the bathroom in the middle of the night but thought “Hey, I will get up and sleep late.” When my feet touched the floor and I felt water, my heart stopped. Minutes later my neighbors, Colleen and Steve, called to say we were surrounded by water and the water was too deep to escape by car. I told them that I had electricity and to come over. They said they would as soon as they put some of their furniture up higher. I ran around like a crazy person packing my backpack realizing that the water was getting deeper, and deeper by the minute.
I immediately called Mary, my office manager, who lives a mile away and told her to get up that we were flooding (She told me days later that I had saved her life, as well as Lola, her cat.) I then called my son, Brian, who lives in Gonzales about 35 minutes away. He said he was coming to get me, and to keep my cell phone charged. I said, “Brian, you will never make it.”
At this point, another disastrous event occurred. All of the AT&T cell towers went down as I tried over 50 times to call 911 only to realize the call would not go through. An hour later the water had gone from a few inches to 3 feet deep in my home. I thought about trying to get the ladder at the back of the carport and try to climb on the roof, but when I opened the back door a river of ugly, brown, nasty water came rushing in. It was all I could do to shut the door. I said, “Linda, you are going to die. I made peace with God as I realized that I was either going to drown or be electrocuted from walking around in the now 3 feet of water with the electricity on.
At this point, I decided to put a chair on top of my kitchen island and used a small ladder to climb up. There I was sitting in the chair when I heard knocking on my front window. I climbed down into now 4½ feet of water to see my neighbor, Steve, at the window saying raise the window and bust the screen out. I soon discovered that the water was so strong I could not bust the screen out. I immediately ran to the front door but the water had already warped the door and it would not open. Steve said try the living room window, and thankfully, I was able to bust the screen out. I said, wait I need to get my backpack, and Steve said the current is too strong Linda you will never make it, we need to leave NOW! What an Angel Steve was as he literally pulled me out of the window into his arms. His son, Matthew, was helping his wife, Colleen. We were about a house away when I realized that I had left my cell phone, but Steve said we could not go back. I said but Brian will never know what happened to me.
Then there was a Divine Intervention. We were two houses down struggling to walk in this wild, raging river of water when I saw a man coming toward us. The man said, “Mom is that you?” And there was my son and grandson, Bryce. I immediately broke into tears as we all hugged. It was all we could do to get to safety where Brian had parked his truck. We even rescued an elderly couple from the home where Brian had parked.
Brian and his family have taken me into their home, and I am so grateful as I am more fortunate that those who were forced to live on a cot in shelters throughout the city. Slowly, day by day, we are all trying to put the pieces of our lives back together but I have to say as much as I know about how to use my mind and keep myself positive, this disaster is a really humbling experience, one that literally takes you to your knees. I feel violated and traumatized.
I found out later that Mary had flooded out in her van trying to escape her flooded home, and the National Guard had to rescue her and take her to a shelter.
Every day, I force myself to be grateful for what I have instead of what I don’t have understanding my subconscious mind (that makes up 99% of my mind) is listening to what I am thinking and is doing everything with its power to make my conscious thoughts true. I continually repeat over, and over again, to myself, “All is well in my world because I know that I am held in the hands of God and I am perfectly, utterly safe, and so I am, and so I am.”
One thing that has really helped me is listening to my Stress Free NOW! Combo Pack on my old lap top computer that thankfully did not flood… another Divine Intervention as it was sitting on top of a wicker bookcase that did not float and turn over. I would like to gift it to you. It has two Positive Affirmation MP3s, Reduce Anxieties, and Healthy Living. It also has a beautiful self-hypnosis MP3, Ultimate Relaxation, designed to help you reduce stress. Enjoy.
All you have to do is contact me through my GoFundMe account that you would like to receive it and I will send you the download link as my "gift of gratitude." I know it will help you cope during these and other trying times. Also, if you need to talk, email me with your phone number and I will be happy to return your call and do everything within my power to help you.
Love and hugs,
Linda
The purpose of this GoFundMe request is to help me get my business back up and running. I have nothing ... not even a pencil. I really need 2 of most everything - desk, chair, paper, printer, computer, etc., so my Office Manager and I can get back to work. My plans are to move back into my home by Christmas, hopefully.
I love my job and I love helping people and I would be forever grateful for any amount you are able to donate.
The “1,000-year flood of 2016” that hit my community of Baton Rouge, August 14th, has literally taken me, as well as the people in the 20 surrounding parishes, to our knees as the muddy, brown, water flooded our communities and claimed all of our worldly possessions.
I personally received 5 feet of water into my beautiful 47-year-old home along with my vehicle. Everything I own is sitting in front of my home in a pile of wet, broken, stinking, smelling trash. All that is left in my home is 3 commodes and studs as the sheetrock and flooring has been removed to avoid mold.
This is my story...
Sunday, August 14th, the morning of the flood I woke up at 3:17 a.m. when my generator kicked on. I smiled to myself as I realized that I would have electricity. I never go to the bathroom in the middle of the night but thought “Hey, I will get up and sleep late.” When my feet touched the floor and I felt water, my heart stopped. Minutes later my neighbors, Colleen and Steve, called to say we were surrounded by water and the water was too deep to escape by car. I told them that I had electricity and to come over. They said they would as soon as they put some of their furniture up higher. I ran around like a crazy person packing my backpack realizing that the water was getting deeper, and deeper by the minute.
I immediately called Mary, my office manager, who lives a mile away and told her to get up that we were flooding (She told me days later that I had saved her life, as well as Lola, her cat.) I then called my son, Brian, who lives in Gonzales about 35 minutes away. He said he was coming to get me, and to keep my cell phone charged. I said, “Brian, you will never make it.”
At this point, another disastrous event occurred. All of the AT&T cell towers went down as I tried over 50 times to call 911 only to realize the call would not go through. An hour later the water had gone from a few inches to 3 feet deep in my home. I thought about trying to get the ladder at the back of the carport and try to climb on the roof, but when I opened the back door a river of ugly, brown, nasty water came rushing in. It was all I could do to shut the door. I said, “Linda, you are going to die. I made peace with God as I realized that I was either going to drown or be electrocuted from walking around in the now 3 feet of water with the electricity on.
At this point, I decided to put a chair on top of my kitchen island and used a small ladder to climb up. There I was sitting in the chair when I heard knocking on my front window. I climbed down into now 4½ feet of water to see my neighbor, Steve, at the window saying raise the window and bust the screen out. I soon discovered that the water was so strong I could not bust the screen out. I immediately ran to the front door but the water had already warped the door and it would not open. Steve said try the living room window, and thankfully, I was able to bust the screen out. I said, wait I need to get my backpack, and Steve said the current is too strong Linda you will never make it, we need to leave NOW! What an Angel Steve was as he literally pulled me out of the window into his arms. His son, Matthew, was helping his wife, Colleen. We were about a house away when I realized that I had left my cell phone, but Steve said we could not go back. I said but Brian will never know what happened to me.
Then there was a Divine Intervention. We were two houses down struggling to walk in this wild, raging river of water when I saw a man coming toward us. The man said, “Mom is that you?” And there was my son and grandson, Bryce. I immediately broke into tears as we all hugged. It was all we could do to get to safety where Brian had parked his truck. We even rescued an elderly couple from the home where Brian had parked.
Brian and his family have taken me into their home, and I am so grateful as I am more fortunate that those who were forced to live on a cot in shelters throughout the city. Slowly, day by day, we are all trying to put the pieces of our lives back together but I have to say as much as I know about how to use my mind and keep myself positive, this disaster is a really humbling experience, one that literally takes you to your knees. I feel violated and traumatized.
I found out later that Mary had flooded out in her van trying to escape her flooded home, and the National Guard had to rescue her and take her to a shelter.
Every day, I force myself to be grateful for what I have instead of what I don’t have understanding my subconscious mind (that makes up 99% of my mind) is listening to what I am thinking and is doing everything with its power to make my conscious thoughts true. I continually repeat over, and over again, to myself, “All is well in my world because I know that I am held in the hands of God and I am perfectly, utterly safe, and so I am, and so I am.”
One thing that has really helped me is listening to my Stress Free NOW! Combo Pack on my old lap top computer that thankfully did not flood… another Divine Intervention as it was sitting on top of a wicker bookcase that did not float and turn over. I would like to gift it to you. It has two Positive Affirmation MP3s, Reduce Anxieties, and Healthy Living. It also has a beautiful self-hypnosis MP3, Ultimate Relaxation, designed to help you reduce stress. Enjoy.
All you have to do is contact me through my GoFundMe account that you would like to receive it and I will send you the download link as my "gift of gratitude." I know it will help you cope during these and other trying times. Also, if you need to talk, email me with your phone number and I will be happy to return your call and do everything within my power to help you.
Love and hugs,
Linda
Organizer
Linda Allred
Organizer
Baton Rouge, LA