DILLE - With a little more than a week of planning, the Greater Clay Long Term Recovery Committee held its first event on Saturday in the sparsely populated area known as Dille.
The committee, which has the goal of continuing to help residents in the county long after federal agents withdraw from the state, held a meet and greet to help bring together all of the services a victim of the late-June floods might need.
Much of the county is already rural, and Saturday's picnic was held to bring out people who live in the most rural areas. Organizers say it's hard to convince people in the county to apply for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
At the center of Saturday's event, organizing all the food and answering everyone's questions, was Brandy O'Brien, the chairwoman of the committee.
"There is 45 minutes to one town and 45 minutes to the other town," O'Brien said. "In between that, where we are right now, there's nothing. Theres no laundromats, there's no clinics, there's no computer labs or anything else a person might need.
"Heaven forbid you have to drive 45 minutes to go get some food at a free clinic down the road."
O'Brien said Saturday was the first of many events like this they hope to plan over the coming weeks and months. At the first event, representatives from FEMA, the Small Business Administration, the county's health department and other community and legal support groups were ready to help in any way they could.
She and her committee took over a large open field across from the Dille Church of the Nazarene and set up a hodge podge of lawn chairs, fold out chairs and whatever canopies they could find. The clouds opened up and poured rain down onto the few dozen people there. But a little rain couldn't ruin the party.
Unlike other parts of the state where whole homes were washed away and people died, a small creek that runs through Dille flooded, taking large bites of the asphalt road with it as it washed through the area.
O'Brien walked quickly back and forth across the open field, her voice echoing against the wall of trees that hug the community. Everyone here knows everyone's name. Even though O'Brien isn't from the community herself, she said she couldn't sit back and watch.
"Make sure you come over here and sign in," O'Brien said over a loudspeaker. "Then, come over here and get yourself a bag."
Next to the sign-in table were large cardboard boxes and duffel bags with purses stuffed inside of them. They started emptying fast as more people filed into the meet and greet.
"Don't worry, we've got some man-bags here, too."
Ashley Truman, the committee's secretary, said Saturday's event wasn't only about helping people in the most rural parts of the county get in touch with emergency officials who can help them. It's also a chance to show them that yes, someone cares about them. Yes, this committee is in it for the long haul.
"I'm from the state of Louisiana and I'm a survivor," said Mark Bezou, FEMA representative. "I came from [Hurricane Katrina], and after Katrina, I retired and went to work for FEMA because FEMA was very, very good for me. I tell you right now, I wear it on my heart and I'm not afraid to show it."
Bezou might be one of FEMA's division supervisors overseeing Clay County, but he knows what the people here are going through.
"When I leave this disaster, I'll keep following you all," Bezou said. "I tell you what, my heart bleeds for you all just like it bleeds for New Orleans."
Reach Jake Jarvis at
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