BROUSSARD, La. — The City of Broussard stepped up to help a small Louisiana community rebuild after a devastating fire nearly destroyed Clayton's City Hall in August.
Surplus furniture from Broussard's public works building was donated to Clayton, a village of 368 residents located 160 miles away.
The donation represents the first assistance the small town has received since the August 25th fire.
"Broussard stepped right on in and we are thankful for that," said Tangelia Johnson, administrative assistant for the Village of Clayton.
Johnson drove almost three hours to see the donation herself, highlighting the significance of the gesture for the struggling community.
The fire caused significant damage to the 70-year-old building and destroyed critical paperwork for the town, creating ongoing challenges for basic municipal operations.
"It's been kind of hectic honest, because a lot of people have been paying their water bills and because of the fire we didn't have time to put it into the system. So now, we are at the point where we are trying to figure out the water bills manually, but we going to pull through," Johnson said.
The furniture donation will help Clayton establish operations in both their current temporary building and future permanent facility.
"Right now, we have a temporary building, so we know we going to put some in a temporary building— so when we get a permanent building, we already have our furniture, and that's amazing. Hopefully, we can give back to Broussard," Johnson said.
Broussard officials emphasized their commitment to supporting neighboring communities in times of need.
"Cities helping cities is a great way for us to reach out and make sure that we are helping other communities be successful," Mayor Ray Bourque tells KATC.
"It's going to help us build from something," Johnson said.
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