After Hurricane Ida destroyed their house, a Louisiana family staying in tents has just received a wonderful gift from a stranger who wished to end their struggle.
They got a trailer and can now enjoy hot showers and sleeping in warm beds again. They will stay focused on rebuilding their house, but it will take time, and the fantastic gift will make it so much easier to have good living conditions until they can get their life back on track.
What are the details?
The Nazios family, who live in Paradis, Louisiana, had to evacuate to Texas before the storm came. And when the eldest son went back to check on their house, he realized the place was damaged and needed serious repairs.
“After seeing the house my grandfather and uncle built with such damage, I knew we had to make a plan. I talked to my family down in the hotel and made a plan. I told them, ‘The house is damaged, but we’re still going to live there; we will put tents in the yard,” Hypolite Nazio Jr. shared with The Epoch Times.
The house meant a lot to the family because Hypolite spent his childhood there. Unfortunately, its foundations were shifted, there were water leaks everywhere, and the roof was severely damaged.
Many people were lending tents at the time, so the family started living like that in their yard. They had to camp outside for two months before a post on social media by a New Orleans reporter got the attention of 39-year-old Matt Rookard, who is the CEO of Terrebonne Economic Development Authority (TEDA).
The man felt he had to reach out to the family and help them with their housing situation. Matt, who also lives in New Orleans, said he didn’t know anything about the family’s struggle until he read the post on social media, which reminded everyone that there were still people who didn’t have suitable places to live after Hurricane Ida.
“It mentioned there were three kids in the family as well. I am a father of three myself, so I decided to just reach out. I had a trailer big enough for his family, and I couldn’t have slept that weekend had I gone home on Friday night without doing everything in my power,” Matt said for the outlet.
Once he got contact information from the reporter, Matt called Hypolite and offered the family a trailer.
“I asked to call him back, so I could tell my wife. She asked how long we could use it; I told her, ‘I think he wants to give it to us.’ We were both in shock; you just don’t see that kind of generosity very often,” Hypolite recalls his reaction when he got the benefactor’s call.
So, Matt called again at 5:30 p.m., and the trailer arrived in the family’s driveway just three hours later.
“It’s a blessing and a miracle. Matt brought us the trailer, but I believe God put it on his heart to help us. The first night under a roof was great,” Hypolite concluded about the emotional experience that goes to show kindness can come from the most unexpected places. We are never alone in our struggles, no matter how terrible they are.
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