MILWAUKEE -- Brewers utility man Jace Peterson stayed up all night last week as Hurricane Laura roared into his hometown of Lake Charles, La. So did Orioles pitcher Wade LeBlanc, who compared it to “watching a nightmare play out while you’re still awake.”

Now the players are doing their part to raise awareness and funds while their community begins to rebuild.

“It’s been a very difficult year -- and with this on top of everything else that’s been happening, it’s tough,” Peterson said. “My heart and mind are back home with my family and friends and the community there.”

The players have set up a GoFundMe page to rebuild schools and churches, and to help repair baseball facilities at McNeese State University, from where Peterson was drafted in 2011. LeBlanc, who made six starts for the Orioles before suffering a season-ending left elbow injury, was still in Baltimore when the storm hit. And like Peterson, he kept tabs as best as he could from afar. LeBlanc is now in the process of commuting daily from outside Houston to clear debris from his property.

“It's so bad that everybody needs help, and hopefully we can get enough to where we can pass a little bit to everybody. That's kind of a dream,” LeBlanc told MLB.com. “It’s a town where everybody kind of grows up together and where your roots grow really deep. It’s hard to leave. It’s a place where you feel like it’s home when you go back. And a lot of people we grew up with are taking some really, really big hits.”

Peterson’s wife and two daughters honored mandatory evacuation orders for Calcasieu and Cameron Parish and have been staying with family in Austin, Texas. As far as his home, Peterson said he was lucky, suffering only roof and some related water damage. Nothing that cannot be repaired -- and nothing like some others in the area endured.

“There was a chance that he was going to leave the team for a couple days,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “Fortunately, the damage to his particular home was not too bad, but there's obviously a lot of damage in his community. We talked about possibly not having water or electricity for up to six weeks, so that's hard to even consider. That's a real challenging time.”

Some of Peterson’s friends stayed behind to ride out the storm, offering a firsthand experience of its ferocity. The surge was not as bad as forecast, but damage from the Category 4 storm, with winds up to 150 mph, was severe.

Peterson’s father and brothers are on the ground now, assisting clean-up efforts.

“Everybody is telling me the pictures don’t do it justice, the videos don’t do it justice, the coverage doesn’t do it justice,” said Peterson. “I FaceTimed one of my buddies and this was about 3:30 in the morning, he opened the door and the wind was just howling. It sounded like a train coming through the house. Ten minutes later, he FaceTimed me back and there was a tree through the garage of his house.

“I tried to tell him not to stay, but some people had to stay. But he said he’ll never stay again, he’ll never make that mistake again. He really felt like he was blessed to be alive the next morning.”

Asked about the challenge of playing baseball while his thoughts are at home, Peterson began to answer. Then he paused to compose himself.

“I’m thankful my family is safe and I have strong people around me,” he said. “Without teammates, friends, family, things like this can be real tough. All we can do is keep pushing, keep going. Wake up tomorrow and keep it going. That’s all I’m trying to do.”

In the Brewers' 8-5 win on Wednesday night, Peterson pinch-hit for Avisaíl García in the eighth inning and launched a two-run homer -- his first of the season. And the timing couldn't have been better.

"That’s definitely one I’ll remember for the rest of my life," Peterson said. "I put that one up there with my first career homer, really, with everything going on back home."

Last call
• With off-days scheduled for three of the next eight days -- Thursday, Monday and Sept. 10 -- the Brewers have some flexibility to realign their rotation. Counsell was not ready to talk specifics, including whether Josh Lindblom (6.46 ERA) would be one of the pitchers impacted.

“I don't think the first seven starts have gone the way Josh has wanted,” Counsell said. “They haven't been good, but he hasn't been hit hard. I just feel like he's kind of been dinged every start. I just spoke with him; we had a good talk and I think we're on the same page. He can be better. He knows he can be better, I know he can be better. There are some properties of what he's doing that are real ingredients for success, but it just hasn't gone that way so far.”

• Brandon Woodruff (paternity list) is scheduled to rejoin the Brewers’ pitching rotation on Saturday at Cleveland after traveling home for the birth of his first child. Milwaukee plans to start Corbin Burnes, Woodruff and Brett Anderson in that three-game series.

• Ryan Braun, dealing with a flare-up of his back, remained out of the starting lineup on Wednesday while the Brewers finished their 10-game homestand. He has not started since Sunday.