United Way coordinating aid for Ida victims

Organization plans drive-through donation drive scheduled for Friday

Louisianians in the path of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in the southeastern part of the state as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday, fled in numbers as the storm approached.

With power and other utilities offline in the region for the foreseeable future, some evacuees will be forced to stay where they are until roads are cleared and services restored.

Many of El Dorado’s hotels reported in a Monday NewsTimes article that they were hosting evacuees from Louisiana. Now, individuals and nonprofits in the county are reaching out to lend a helping hand.

Alexis Alexander, executive director of United Way of Union County, spent Tuesday morning driving from hotel to hotel in El Dorado, looking to meet with evacuees currently staying in town.

“All the hotels in town seem to have evacuees. I talked to some people who were here, including a family sitting outside one of the hotels wearing New Orleans Saints shirts. All of the hotels have groups that are here. Two different hotels said they have people who left to go back today; I know the desire to go back and see if your house is still standing is strong,” Alexander said.

The United Way of Union County’s mission in the wake of Hurricane Ida is twofold, according to Alexander - to help evacuees staying in the local community and to gather supplies to send to Louisiana.

Alexander started a Facebook group called “Hurricane Help in El Dorado, Arkansas” to help share information about relief efforts and the local community for evacuees and to organize local assistance for them. She said she hopes the page can reach not only reach evacuees staying in local hotels but also those who have come to stay with family, friends or have other arrangements. The page also serves to provide information about everything else available in the county as well, from local museums to activities for children.

Tuesday evening, the College Avenue Church of Christ hosted a cook-out for evacuee families and Alexander said several other area churches plan to do the same.

Tonight, Holy Redeemer Catholic Church will host a red beans and rice dinner at 6 p.m. with pick-up at the church, which is located on 440 W. Main Street, and delivery to Country Inn & Suites.

Tomorrow evening, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, which is located at 512 Champagnolle Road, plans to serve spaghetti dinner for evacuees both at the church and at nearby hotels.

On Tuesday, September 7, First Baptist Church will serve to-go plates at their CLC Building, located at 300 W. Main Street, from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, September 8, First United Methodist Church, which is located at 201 S. Hill Avenue, will serve food at the Hampton Inn and other nearby hotels.

Conversations with evacuees from events such as the cook-outs, the Facebook page and speaking with families will be used to gauge the supplies that are most needed and set families up with potential donors or otherwise point them in the right direction for services and assistance.

“Several people I talked to left basically in the middle of the night, not thinking or knowing they’d be gone as long as they’ll have to be,” Alexander said.

She added that the organization is particularly looking for those with shelter available locally, whether a house for rent for those looking to stay longer term or a camper or RV that a family could utilize.

United Way can be reached at 870-862-4903 and updated information is continuously posted on the “Hurricane Help in El Dorado, Arkansas” Facebook page.

Alexander said the idea for the Facebook page and relief efforts came from similar experiences she had while working at the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce after Hurricane Katrina.

“A lot of the people who came here for Katrina have come back since then because they were shown so much compassion. It’s important to try to do that again,” she said.

The organization is also planning to hold a drive-through donation drive for goods to send to Louisiana on Friday.

“The second prong of our hurricane relief effort will be eventually trying to fill a truck with supplies to take to southern Louisiana. I have a friend from El Dorado who now lives in New Orleans. She’s working with nonprofits in the Lower 9th Ward. We want to set up distribution site [in El Dorado], fill up a truck and take those to nonprofits down there,” Alexander said.

The drive is set to take place at the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. tomorrow.

Items needed include water and water filters; canned food; cleaning supplies; medical and hygiene supplies; batteries and battery-operated electronics; construction materials; fuel; and gas cards. No clothing items will be accepted other than for new-pre-packaged socks and underwear.

A more detailed list of items can be found on the “Hurricane Help in El Dorado, Arkansas” page and Alexander can be reached by email at alexis@unitedwayunioncounty.com for additional information.