The Lafayette resident lamented to the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains that he knew rain was coming to Louisiana. He had heard the forecast, so when it started falling that Thursday, Aug. 11, he wasn’t surprised.
But it didn’t stop. And almost 72 hours later, more than 20 inches had fallen in some places, flooding his community and various parts of the state. Thousands of people were displaced in Lafayette—Louisiana’s fourth-largest city—as more than 1,500 homes and businesses were flooded.
“It wasn’t that [the rain] came so suddenly,” said Ray Thompson, a chaplain coordinator with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. “It just kept coming. More and more, and it started to go underneath the door frame. He was trying to mop it up.”
“I don’t think anybody realized it was going to drop that much water,” said Suzanne Thompson, Ray’s wife and fellow chaplain coordinator.
Crisis-trained chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team are in Lafayette, East Baton Rouge and Gonzales offering emotional and spiritual care in the wake of the tragic Louisiana floods. Since arriving last week in Lafayette, chaplains have prayed with hundreds of people, continually pointing to the hope and peace that only Christ can bring.
“Rich people, poor people, the businesses—everyone’s been affected by the flood, and like with all disasters it catches people usually in a time of crisis that they’re already in,” Suzanne said.
The six chaplains ministering in Lafayette are hearing stories from people who were recently laid off from their jobs. Other residents are dealing with sickness, like one family that has an upcoming cancer surgery scheduled. The flood, for them, is only the latest storm in their life.
For others, the rising waters were a terrifying reminder of Hurricane Katrina that drowned the Gulf Coast in 2005. The Thompsons said they’ve met people who relocated to Lafayette after surviving that devastating storm 11 years ago.
“A couple of our chaplains were talking to a woman who hasn’t come out of her room in five years,” Suzanne said. “She has PTSD and she experienced Katrina. Having this happen to her set all that off again so she’s really struggling with this because it brought back everything she went through.
“[The chaplains] spent a lot of time with her, just listening to her story and reassuring her of the hope and the love of Christ.”
As the chaplains visit with residents in the community and in shelters, they’re ready with a listening ear, a warm embrace and a sincere prayer. The Thompsons have been encouraged by the community, which is replete with stories of neighbor helping neighbor. In one case, a local church received permission from the Coast Guard to take boats out and rescue people early in the flooding. They called themselves the Cajun Navy, Ray said.
“Louisianans are very resilient, hardworking people,” Suzanne said. “If you need something and you need help, they’re going to help you. They’re hard working, and they are ready and willing to help their neighbors.
“And they love good food.”
That shared Cajun homecooking is just one example of how the Lafayette community has welcomed the chaplains into their family.
“They can’t thank us enough for being here,” Suzanne said. “I don’t know how many times I’ve heard, ‘Thank you for coming here and helping my people.’”
Please continue to pray for this community and the chaplains as they offer emotional and spiritual care.
