"So when I spoke with my sister this morning, one of my first questions was this: Did you do what Mama said to do?" Levi said. "She did it all: boarded the house, filled the tub with water, had candles, flashlights and batteries ready, and food to snack on."
She said her 81-year-old father, Alfred Sterling, was out early Tuesday repairing gaping holes and crumbled walls at a neighborhood bar and a coin laundry he owns in Laplace.
"My father just had heart surgery," she said. "But he was never the type to sit around at home when there was work to be done."
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How to help
The following agencies are among those providing assistance to hurricane victims:
* American Red Cross, (800) HELP NOW [435-7669] English, (800) 257-7575 Spanish
* Adventist Community Services, (800) 381-7171
* Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, (800) 848-5818
* Church World Service, (800) 297-1516
* Convoy of Hope, (417) 823-8998
* Mennonite Disaster Service, (717) 859-2210
* Salvation Army, (800) SAL-ARMY [725-2769]
* United Methodist Committee on Relief, (800) 554-8583
* World Relief, (800) 535-5433
* Operation USA, (800) 678-7255
* Catholic Charities USA, (800) 919-9338
Source: Associated Press
