Blues artists hit by Louisiana floods

My heart goes out to Louisiana residents who, yet again, have suffered severe flooding.The state is well used to flooding and songs like Randy Newman's Louisiana 1927 are testament to that scourge.This time it is Baton Rouge that has suffered worst, rather than New Orleans, but it seems that there has been little media coverage of this disaster, certainly not in the UK, but also in the US. Barack Obama has not paid a visit, although Donald Trump is threatening to go and no doubt do some electioneering.

A number of blues artists have suffered badly as a result of the floods. Singer and piano player Henry Gray (pictured at the 2005 Ponderosa Stomp), now aged 91, has reportedly lost everything. Bluesman Bob Corritore is raising money to help him. Larry Garner's home has been affected, and members of the Neal family, including Kenny, Darnell and Darlene, have also been badly hit.
I will be in Louisiana soon visiting the Blues and Barbecue Festival in New Orleans and also staying in Lafayette, and I can only hope that conditions have improved by then. But it's time that the US authorities and media took the situation seriously and provided more help for the victims.