KATY – Hurricane Laura made landfall in southwest Louisiana nearly three weeks ago, and people there are still living in miserable conditions. Many still don’t have power, water or a place to live. Many families are still staying elsewhere. In fact, some are in the Houston area.
A group of volunteers and restaurants have been stepping up since the storm. On Thursday, Chick-fil-A provided dinner to evacuees staying at the Residence Inn Marriott Hotel in Katy.
Families from Louisiana say they’re grateful, but they are still faced with other challenges.
“Very different...it’s a process,” Nikkie Scott Austin said, describing living in a hotel. “Not being able to do the stuff you normally used to do.”
Austin also shared photos of her home in Lake Charles.
“It’s just hard to get into the property. I have a lot of trees down, but the trees didn’t get into the house,” she said.
In the past three weeks, Austin has been paying about $100 dollars a night at the Residence Inn Marriott in Katy.
She and countless others are not getting the help they need from different organizations.
“(I) spoke with Red Cross a couple of times and they want to send you to the Dallas area and it’s not a really easy commute,” she said.
“FEMA is probably swamped, so is Red Cross with all the disasters going on. But there are people here that are just desperate for help,” Elizabeth Lowman said.
It can be stressful for many families but Frank Cano, Elizabeth Lowman and Madhav Parimi are helping in a big way.
“Diapers, personal hygiene, toothpaste, deodorants,” Parimi said.
The trio and countless other volunteers from one Katy neighborhood have delivered over a thousand meals in two weeks to about 300 evacuees.
“We get a lot of gratitude and appreciation that’s coming back to us it’s heartwarming to be on the delivery side the delivery teams,” Cano said.
It’s a simple act of kindness that means so much. Austin helps pass out the food and supplies to families.
“To me, it makes me feel like a better person. I’ve always been a person to try and help everyone. I just like to see someone with a smile on their face,” Austin said.
Several other restaurants have also stepped up to provide dinner to those in need.
Evacuees are also getting help from the Houston Stronger organization. The group is challenging other neighborhoods to help evacuees.
If you would like to know more about the Facebook Group in Katy helping evacuees, click here.