Many stories have come to the forefront regarding people who are deaf and have been impacted by the hurricane. According to WHAM-TV, the Louisiana deaf community has 9,000 people and it was a frustrating and scary time for them. They couldn’t hear what was going on like the others could.
Imagine being deaf AND blind during this time. Two elderly brothers were oblivious to the storm and its dangers. Gallaudet and NTID (National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester) have admitted students.
In spite of all the sadness and horrors, there’s a heartwarming story that resembles the Pied Piper. A volunteer at the Astrodome wrote DEAF on a cardboard sign and soon people came to him.
A construction worker who is deaf went to the Superdome and ended up helping. He carried a man with no legs through the filth. Heartbreaking. This article has more information and also mentions the Deaf sign at the Astrodome. It’s plain scary when you can hear. When I was 14, the hotel I stayed at in Los Angeles got hit with carbon monoxide. Thank goodness, my parents were with me and could hear. If it weren’t for them, I may not be writing this. We stayed at the hospital for 24 hours to clear out the poisonous gas. I feel pains in my stomach when I think of that experience.
Update: Videoconferencing services have been set up at shelters.