President Jaimie Hebert, a native of Abbeville, Louisiana, gave a emotional yet hopeful response to the Louisiana flooding in a recent interview with The George Anne. Being dubbed the worst US disaster since 2012’s Hurricane Sandy by many relief efforts, including the Red Cross, the Louisiana floods have left thousands of families without their personal items and homes along with a death toll of 13.

Hebert’s initial reaction regarding the flooding was short and simple, but spoke volumes and expressed much of what most of the world is thinking.

“Here we go again,” Hebert said. “It’s mind boggling. There are disasters just about everyday in the United States. There are wildfires in California and people’s homes are being flooded in Louisiana and you just wish that you could somehow balance all of that and we just can’t. We live in nature and these are the unfortunate disasters that happen.”

Hebert and his family are no strangers to natural disasters in the South. Hebert’s mother was also caught in a flood in 1944. The then 14-year-old and her family were displaced for a three-week period. Hebert was also caught in Hurricane Ike, the tropical cyclone that hit South East Texas back in 2008. Hebert, who was living in Texas at the time, was left without power for three weeks.

Hebert’s immediate family, including his siblings, have each been affected by the floods, forcing them to evacuate their homes. Hebert, who has helped his family during this tragic time, became emotional as he expressed how difficult it is not being able to be right beside his family.

“It’s hard. It’s always hard. I want to be there. I want to be helping my family, but you can’t always be there and that’s one of the unfortunate things about living far from family,” Hebert said.

Although most of the mainstream news coverage has been geared towards the Olympics and this year’s Presidential election, Hebert was grateful others are speaking on the floods.

“I was really surprised how much media was out there about the floods in Louisiana. That says a lot about our humanity,” Hebert said. “People have covered this with a lot of compassion. I was astounded the other day when I walked in and saw the headline in the Statesboro Herald was about the floods in Louisiana. It was really touching. I snapped a picture and sent it to my brother and said, ‘See they care about y’all.’ He sent a smile back.”

Though the devastation of the floods has left Hebert in a concerned state, he is confident in how the state of Louisiana will bounce back.

“They’re strong people and they are going to survive. I feel for them because I know what that struggle is like. They are good people and they are going to survive and they will prosper again,” Hebert said.

In the end, Hebert sends a positive yet direct message to those in desperate search for help.

“If you need, ask. Now is not the time to be humble. Find the courage to move on,” Hebert said.

For more information on how to get involved in helping out those impacted by the Louisiana floods, please visit www.redcross.org.