Woman Finds Beauty and Hope in Light of Historic Flooding

Pamela Campbell, 42, was in her apartment in Baton Rouge when she suddenly, like so many others, found herself immersed in flood water. The water quickly rose to her chest, and unable to swim she was desperate. She was unable to open her apartment door due to the weight of the water. She received assistance from a neighbor, who kicked her door in so she could escape and find higher ground. In the darkness, she and her neighbors were able to get to the second story of her apartment building and wait for rescue. “I have never experienced anything so scary, the darkness, the sounds of car alarms and voices throughout the night were terrifying,” said Campbell.

In these moments, she cried out to the Lord for help and asked that he protect her and her neighbors. By daybreak, they began to see helicopters flying overhead and heard the sounds of boats nearby. She and her neighbors would wait 24 hours to be rescued by boat, but thankfully they were all taken to safety. “I’m so grateful that good-hearted people were there helping. At that moment we were all the same, just neighbors in need. No one saw skin color or our differences, it was a beautiful scene,” said Campbell tearfully.

After spending three days in an emergency shelter, she was able to make it to Abbeville, Louisiana to stay with family. She lost all of her belongings in the flood and is not sure when she will make it back to Baton Rouge. Campbell came to The Salvation Army’s Community Assistance Day in Abbeville to receive a warm meal and a food box. “It helps to know there are people helping. To see The Salvation Army out here helping so many people means so much at a time like this,” said Campbell.

It is the mission of The Salvation Army to serve those in need without discrimination at their point of crisis, and that’s just what The Salvation Army of Lafayette is doing in response to the historic flooding. “The need in this area is tremendous and the people we are serving come from many different backgrounds, but they are all in this together,” said Major Jeff Daniel, Incident Commander for The Salvation Army Disaster Response Team. “Many people’s lives have been turned upside down and it’s a blessing to be able to provide assistance and share hope with each family we meet."