Earlier this month, prolonged rainfall in southern parts of Louisiana resulted in catastrophic flooding that submerged thousands of houses and businesses, including ABC Pelican Chapter. Located in hard-hit Baton Rouge, the chapter had two to three feet of water in its administrative building and training center, and more than half of the staff have lost their homes.

Having no access to email or telephone lines for days, the chapter team worked diligently to support their members and students who were obviously affected during this difficult period. Now they are faced with the daunting task of rebuilding their programs over the coming weeks and months without any of their paper records, which were lost in the flooding. The cost of water remediation is estimated at $200,000, and rebuilding will cost $700,000. 

While still in the process of securing temporary office space, the staff remains unsure as to the full extent of the damage to their training facilities including the machinery, power tools and welders that cannot be tested until the water recedes. The chapter is working around the clock to get its high school and evening classes back up and running in alternate locations.

Those who wish to support relief efforts during this difficult time can do so by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund via ABC’s donation page and/or by donating to the Flood Relief & ABC Pelican Staff Fund set up by neighboring ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter.

In the coming days the ABC Pelican Chapter will set up a relief fund that will accept direct donation. For updates, visit the ABC Pelican Chapter Flood Update webpage.