Saturday, August 13th 2016 Denham Springs, Louisiana Me and my friends were frantically texting each other, trying to get a hold of one another. We had no idea if they had gone under or if they were okay. One of my friends texted me saying “There is no water here, I am safe.” The same friend twenty minutes later texted me saying “My house is under water.” I have never been so scared in my entire life, I had no idea if my house was going to go under or not, or if some of my friends were even still alive. Many of my friends houses were full of water, them stranded on their roofs. I watched on the news as I saw the only town I have ever lived in be destroyed by water. My high school started filling up with water. Everyone was terrified. The most sickening feeling was getting text messages saying “Kayla, I am scared. I don’t know if I am going to be okay.”

Sunday, August 14th 2016 Denham Springs, Louisiana I woke up and looked out my window. I screamed when I saw the water had risen three feet. I ran outside to see the water was four inches from coming into my house. I checked on my friends, everyone I knew had lost everything or was stranded in their houses. There was no way to get out of my house, the water was chest deep and the currents were strong. Even if we wanted to leave, we couldn’t. We were stranded. The water started to rise, and then the rain came. The water started leaking into my house. I was scared. I was so scared. Soon after the water started coming up through the floors, the water stood at a stand-still. It stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity. I had no idea if it would rise suddenly, taking all of my belongings and memories with it, just like it did to my friend’s. The water then fell a foot. The water was no longer in my house, but stayed very high throughout the day. The threat was still there. We then began to realize that we had little food and water. We scavenged whatever we could from my house to make a small dinner for my family. I looked on the news, only to see that my school had been flooded over the roof. The school that only a few days prior I was laughing and learning at. I saw everything. I saw the neighborhoods and shops flooded up to the rooftops. I saw the children and babies being rescued by helicopters from a deadly situation. I saw the amazing Coast Guard and National Guard rescuing people by boat and helicopter. I saw residents going out, risking their own lives to save the lives of others. I saw thousands of people homeless with nothing to their name except the clothes on their backs and the children in their arms. I saw heartbreak, all across my city. All across my state. 

Louisiana needs help, Tumblr. Anything you can do:

Red Cross: Text LAFLOODS to 90999 to donate $10.

NOLA Pay It Forward: Provides resources for early relief and rebuilding efforts.

United Way of Southeast Louisiana: Donate online or drop off needed supplies at one of their donation centers: 2515 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119 (9:00 AM and 6:00 PM) 411 W Coleman Ave, Hammond, LA 70403 (10:00 AM and 3:00 PM)

Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana: 100% of donations will be given to teachers to restock classroom materials. 

Assess The Need: Livingston Parish school supply drive. Help get these kids back to school. 

Companion Animal Alliance: Baton Rouge’s city animal shelter needs supplies and foster homes for homeless pets. 

Denham Springs Animal Shelter: Accepting donations on GoFundMe—PetCo is matching donations up to $50k. You can also get them an Amazon gift card.