Woman aptly named Angel Flood helps linemen restoring power in Louisiana
Houma, Louisiana — After Hurricane Ida, linemen from across the country traveled to southern Louisiana to restore power. They found an angel in the flood — a woman actually named Angel Flood, who was giving meals to those who came to help.
"I just knew it from the beginning. I was like, we've got to feed these people," Flood said.
Under her blue-tarped roof, Flood prepped lunch for the linemen working in and around Houma. With restaurants in the area closed, she couldn't stand the thought of them eating cold, processed food.
But Flood isn't the only one stepping up. While CBS News was there, it seemed like every 15 minutes someone else was showing up with a side dish. It's a scene that repeats daily in Houma and across Louisiana.
"They're helping us rebuild the community that we love so much," said Anna Marie Cabirac, who helps Flood prepare the meals.
In one Facebook group, CBS News found thousands of people helping the linemen in every parish affected by the storm. They've prepared meals, offered rooms and washed laundry.
Flood has told the linemen to leave their dirty clothes on her front porch. She has them fluffed and folded by the morning. "It's like checking your chickens and you got an egg," Flood said, checking her porch to see if anyone left a bag of laundry.
Lineman Jarrad Cawley, of Winter Garden, Florida, cannot believe how well he has been treated.
"They have been an absolute godsend to us," he said. "I've been on a lot of storms. I've been doing this for quite some time. We've never been treated this good before."
Flood said it's the least she can do. The linemen put in 16-hour days, seven days a week, away from their families. Flood has learned in talking to them that it's rarely about money and more about duty.
"If you're a lineman and you don't take a call to go 'on storm' — is what they call it — it's like being in the Army and turning down deployment," Flood said.
So in Louisiana, they're now recognizing linemen for the heroes that they are.
To contact On the Road, or to send us a story idea, email us: OnTheRoad@cbsnews.com.
Woman with fitting name feeds linemen after hurricane
