Lou Family Hurricane Recovery Fund

The first thing my brother in law and sister in law  did after they showed up at our home wet, scared, and with almost nothing in their hands was to set up a free clinic day to provide people in need medical attention. They also checked into shelters to find out how they could help others. At that point, they had no idea what state their house was in, but they immediately thought of helping others that were in similar situations.

Hurricane Harvey has been devastating to Houston and to us personally. My family, Derek and Sara Lou and their 2 children, Alexander (12) and Matthew (8) along with their 2 viszlas have lost their home, a car, and the majority of its contents. They had to be urgently evacuated from their home by boat on Monday due to the dangerously rising flood waters. Today, we tried to venture to the house to see if anything could be salvaged. Their home is still flooded up to knee level. My husband and his brother were able to retrieve only 4 small plastic tubs and a suitcase. My husband said there was nothing else salvageable. Everything inside the 1st floor of their home was destroyed. This would include the master bedroom, living areas, kitchen, laundry, and dining room.  Only the boys' bedrooms are on the 2nd floor. At this time, it is believed that the home will stay flooded for at least 2 more weeks due to its location near the bayou and the water the Army Corps of Engineers had to release from the dams nearby. By this time, we are told, almost nothing on the 2nd floor will be salvageable due to the moisture, smell, mold, etc. The only bright spot is that Derek was able to get 1 car to higher ground before the flood waters overtook it.

Sara and Derek do not have flood insurance. They have no furniture and only a few clothing items. They have no school clothes for their children to start school. They need a rental home, new clothing, beds, furniture, another car, toiletries, kitchen items, etc. This doesn't even include what they will need to get their house back in order. There is no way to tell at this point what construction will be necessary to restore their home. The list of needs is overwhelming.

Please donate to this fund and help Derek and Sara restore some normalcy to their lives and the lives of their children. Everything received from this fund will go directly to them for rebuilding their lives after this tragedy.

Thank you,
Jodi and Gene Lou