Baton Rouge needs help; Nashville is ready to assist
The Nashville Flood of 2010 makes residents keenly aware of how people are suffering.
Editor's note: Since publication, we have received more information on efforts to assist the flood victims in Baton Rouge and you can find them below in the editorial. Send information on other activities and ways to donate to dplazas@tennessean.com.
The people of Baton Rouge need help.
Devastating rains and flooding this past month have killed 13 and have displaced entire neighborhoods.
More than 100,000 individuals have registered for federal aid and are starting to receive rental assistance and other help.
The area’s neighbors to the south will need a lot more assistance in the weeks and months to come.
No surprise, the generosity of Middle Tennesseans has already begun to show.
Gallatin High students are collecting items through next week like bottled water and trash bags to deliver to afflicted residents.
Last Friday, Nashville residents organized a Stuff-The-Truck event on Charlotte Pike and 43rd Avenue to bring things like sleeping bags, cleaning supplies and diapers to Louisiana.
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee has established a Louisiana Disaster Relief Fund 2016 to ensure money gets to local nonprofits via its sister Baton Rouge Area Foundation, which helped so many people during Hurricane Katrina.
At the same time, Nashville native and superstar Taylor Swift is donating $1 million to help people in need in the area.
Swift was instrumental in donating and helping raise millions after the 2010 flood that hit Nashville so hard.
The flood killed 11 in the area, displaced 10,000 people, and caused $2 billion in private property damage and $120 million in public infrastructure damage.
Those who remember the flood can empathize deeply with those in Baton Rouge striving to recover.
That is why donations large and small can make a big difference.
Donate to the Louisiana Disaster Fund at http://bit.ly/louisianaflood or cfmt.org. Call the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee at 615-321-4939 for more information.
If residents know of other funds and supply drives in the area, send that information to community@tennessean.com.
Middle Tennessee is a generous place that understands triumphs and tragedies.
At this moment of tragedy for Baton Rouge, the Nashville area’s generosity will go a long way to help distressed people get back on their feet.
Additional information
Red Cross
The Red Cross Tennessee has 100 staff members and volunteers in the Baton Rouge helping people.
To donate to the Red Cross, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text LAFLOODS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
You can also volunteer by registering online on redcross.org or calling the Red Cross' Nashville office at 615-250-4300.
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
TEMA is directing people interesting in helping to the following organizations to make donations or to find volunteer opportunities:
- Louisiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster: lavoad.org/how-to-help/
- Volunteer Louisiana: www.volunteerlouisiana.gov/
- Red Cross Louisiana Flood Information: www.redcross.org/local/louisiana/flood-information
- Louisiana Flood Relief Fund: www.braf.org/louisiana-flood-relief
- United Way of Southeast Louisiana: www.unitedwaysela.org/flood
Opinion Engagement Editor David Plazas wrote this editorial on behalf of The Tennessean editorial board. Call him at 615-259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.