By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Team Depot has struck again. The organization, which in the year since Hurricane Isaac has taken on a number of recovery-minded projects, recently built a fence for LaPlace resident Tina Jackson.
Thanks to the help of local Home Depot Manager Parker Lombard and other volunteers, Jackson said she is that much closer to full recovery from the storm. Other recent acts of generosity Team Depot has performed include giving the VFW Louisiana Post 3337 in LaPlace a major facelift in May and providing landscaping for the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home in April.
The fence work has been approximately three months in the making, while the local store contacted their headquarters to see if the project was feasible. Jackson said Home Depot did their best to help the family while they waited.
“In the meantime they’ve done other things, such as work with us on pricing for flooring and ceramic tile to give us the best prices possible. I see Home Depot as huge supporter of LaPlace and the community. They don’t just talk about it. They are about it,” she said.
Between FEMA and her insurance company, Jackson said she and her family were caught in a “catch 22” with home repairs after Hurricane Isaac last year, when they received both water damage and windblown water damage. She and her husband, Mario, had only been in the home for a year when the storm hit.
“FEMA wants to say that its windblown, the insurance wants to say that its flood, so we ended up coming out of pocket for a lot of stuff,” she said.
Jackson said she and her family would not be in a stable home today without the outpouring of help they’ve received from the community — not only Home Depot, but other organizations such as New Wine Christian Fellowship. The supportive community is one reason Jackson said she didn’t just pack up and leave altogether after the storm.
Jackson went on to say that is important for the community to know that she did not do anything special to receive the help for her home but thinks help may come a little easier for those who try to help themselves.
“We never thought that we would get to this point. But I just kept hoping and praying, and no door has been closed to me in this community. I’m nothing special compared to anybody else, but I think that I wanted it so bad. This was my little piece of the world, and I wanted to keep it,” she said.