Local volunteers say parts of Louisiana are still under water - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

Hurricane Isaac made landfall in late August and although it was not the most powerful storm in US history, it left behind a huge mess. Because of massive power outages and flooding tens of thousands of people are just now able to begin the clean up process.

A number of volunteers from our region are on the ground helping. 13abc's Lissa Guyton spoke to two local Red Cross volunteers working in the hardest hit areas. They say a lot of people lost everything and for many it's not the first time that's happened. Some are still surrounded by water, making it extremely tough to even get help to them.

The volunteers say they've served thousands of meals in a matter of days and they say it's been amazing how a simple meal can change someone's day. Holly Hunter lives in Arlington, Ohio. She says for a lot of people in Louisiana not much has changed since Isaac came storming ashore, "It is a big mess. The outside world seems to have moved on to the next story, but here many are still just starting the clean-up process."

Holly Hunter and Vicky Ginter are volunteers for the Hancock County chapter of The American Red Cross. They headed south last week. They've served more than 3,000 meals since Saturday out of their emergency response vehicle or erv. Ginter says people have lined up for even small amounts of food, "I don't care if you are only giving them a hot dog or a bag of chips it's like giving them a million dollars."

Ginter adds there are areas that are still so waterlogged they can't get the ERV in close enough to serve meals., "We bring the ERV  into an area and then people load the food we have onto boats and then take the food by boat to them. They can only get so far with the boats, so the people wade into the water, and the water is often full of sewage. Some of these people are are wading out chest high to come get the food because they haven't had access to fresh food in nine days."

There are also areas that even boats can't get to. Volunteers say supplies are being dropped in from the air for stranded people and animals. Hunter and Ginter both helped during the Findlay flooding but they say it is hard to describe the scope of this disaster. Hunter says the flooding and damage are sporadic. She says some areas are dry and a mile down the road everything is under water, "It just makes you wonder what it looked like before we could get to it, because they pumped some of the water out already."

Many of the victims are poor, but Ginter says even some of those who do have money aren't able to get to it, "Their stuff washed away, their cash and their credit cards are gone. The electricity is off in a lot of places so the banks aren't open and the ATM's aren't working, so they are stuck."

Because there are so many areas just being opened up to traffic, the volunteers say they could be out serving meals for at least another week. The Red Cross expects to serve a total of more than 170,000 meals in the areas hit by Isaac.

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