Resident launches fundraiser for flood victims

With a trembling voice and teary eyes, Fairfield resident Maggie Ronan described her first-hand account of Hurricane Katrina ? one of the five deadliest storms in the nation?s history that tore through the Gulf Coast claiming more than 1,200 lives.

A resident of Gulf Shores, Alabama at the time, Ronan traveled with her church to New Orleans, Louisiana, to reach out to the masses who were without the most basic of life?s necessities.

?I have trauma from Katrina ? it was the darkest hour of my life,? she explained. ?There were dead people on top of the Kmart building ? it was the most amazing and the most traumatic experience of my life. If you?ve never been affected by a natural disaster, it?s hard to imagine the devastation. It?s like being in a war zone.?

Today, Ronan takes that experience with her, and she?s hoping that Fairfield residents will get behind an effort to help victims of the recent Louisiana floods.

?We are partnering with the Gulf Coast to ?Flood Louisiana with Love? from Iowa,? Ronan said, adding that residents could give in several ways, and those are through an account called Flood Louisiana with LOVE at Iowa State Bank, by giving directly to the effort?s Gulf Coast partner at https://cityhope.cc or by donating at the weekend-long fundraising event which begins at 5 p.m. today through Sunday at The Depot Brewery.

?I?ve partnered with people that I worked with during Katrina, City of Hope Church. My daughter is a member there,? Ronan said, adding that 100 percent of all donations would go directly to those affected by the flood.

?When Katrina happened, my church was there. We were there before [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] and the [Army] National Guard,? Ronan recalled, adding that she hoped residents here would help flood victims financially, even though the floods didn?t happen in their own backyards.

?There?s a blessing in it for you,? Ronan said. ?The Louisiana flood was one of the biggest natural disasters of our history. Thank God, not many lives were lost.?

According to a Los Angels Times article, an economic development group put flood losses at $20.7 billion, with 13 dead, thousands displaced and more than 110,000 homes damaged.

?The realization of the far reaching impact on businesses, school children and the little businesses like newspaper routes that no longer exist because the homes are no longer there,? she said. ?This kind of disaster reaches far and wide for years. People begin to give up hope. They need the basics like drinkable water, and it?s also nice to have a few comfort foods to [get] back to normalcy. Emotional strength comes from knowing that your country of fellow Americans comes to the aide of its people. I always try to remember [that] in every tragedy you can find a blessing for us. My blessing is [that] this unites us.?

For more information, contact Ronan at 727-240-7086.