ARABI, La. — Not even a month after a tornado hit Old Arabi, there's music in the air.
Neighbors came together Saturday night at Pirogue's Whiskey Bayou to celebrate what the storm couldn't break: Their community.
Without the red tape the government and insurance companies face, Whiskey Bayou became a hub for immediate aid after the tornado. Along with the Old Arabi Neighborhood Association, they helped the people who need it most.
"What we can do is we can fill in the cracks," Old Arabi Neighborhood Association President Alison Barrios said. "The people who do need groceries, the people who lost their car and they need supplies they can’t get to Home Depot, they don’t have anyway to carry things back and forth. We literally are reaching out to our neighbors all over Arabi and asking ‘what do you need?’"
Saturday's benefit concert helps to keep those efforts going. Money raised goes straight to rebuilding the community. Straight to people like David Ruiz, who was at the bar the night the tornado hit, destroying the homes next door, but sparing the bar entirely.
"We had about six of us in there and we all hit the deck," Ruiz said. "Everyone got underneath the pool table and just waited it out and then about two minutes later it just went away.”
Ruiz lost his car in the storm. He doesn't know if he'll get any insurance money to replace it, but he does know his neighbors are here for him.
That's what the benefit concert is really about. More than just a fundraiser, it's a reminder that in Louisiana, even in the worst times, we can always rely on each other.
"I think Louisiana needs this. I think we need to step back a little bit and realize that it’s not about calling the government. We need to — neighbor to neighbor — we need to help the guy next door, we need to take care of each other," Tina Jamieson, who organized the benefit, said.
It's how Louisiana has always weathered the storm: Together.
"Everyone who comes here, we’re all family," Bar owner Kelly Sheeran said. "We’ll do this for as long as we can. It’s a great place to be and it’s great to know we’re part of it."
If you'd like to make a donation, visit the Old Arabi Neighborhood Association's website and keep an eye out for more events at Pirogue's Whiskey Bayou.
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