Volunteers of America's Hurricane Katrina Recovery Efforts
Volunteers of America has been working in New Orleans since well before Hurricane Katrina hit. In the aftermath of Katrina, Volunteers of America has actively been involved in recovery efforts. For instance, the Renaissance Neighborhood Development Corporation (RNDC) is a collaboration between Volunteers of America National Service and Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans to create 1,000 units of housing in Post-Katrina New Orleans. For more information on other work Volunteers of America has been doing, please see the following sections below.
Volunteers of America's Day of Service Held June 8, 2008
At part of Volunteers of America's National Conference in New Orleans in June, more than 350 volunteers from throughout the United States helped rebuild parts of St. Bernard Parish that remain devastated by Hurricane Katrina. More than 250 of these volunteers helped rebuild athletic facilities at the high school, which were destroyed by the storm and the floods that followed. Employees and their families from Volunteers of America’s 38 local offices nationwide participated in a “Day of Service” as part of the organization’s National Conference.
As part of its Day of Service on June 8, 2008, Volunteers of America staff served more than 500 St. Bernard Parish, La. children and other residents at two block parties, one at City of Hope Church in Arabi and the other Memorial Christian Fellowship Baptist Church in Violet. Both communities were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The events included food, music and children's games and were designed to help restore a sense of community among neighbors torn apart by the storm.
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| Charles Gould, President and Chief Executive Officer of Volunteers of America, helps clear brush at Hannan High School in St. Bernard Parish, LA. |
Derek Jeske, Director of Veterans Services for Volunteers of America of IL, helps clear a tree branch at Hannan High School in St. Bernard Parish, LA.
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Alan Garner, president and CEO of Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania, drives a bulldozer as part of restoration work on the athletic fields at Hannan High School in St. Bernard Parish, La.
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Kate Kelly, program coordinator at Volunteer of America's national office in Alexandria,VA, uses a rake to help clear debris from an athletic field at Hannan High School in St. Bernard Parish, LA. |
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Volunteers of America staff work to install a chain link fence at a playground at Violet Park No. 2 in St. Bernard Parish, La.
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Volunteers of America's Hurricane Katrina Efforts In The News
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CNN Featured Volunteers of America's Katrina Recovery Efforts on Anniversary Special |
Almost three years to the day that Hurricane Katrina made landfall, New Orleans braced for a repeat in the form of Tropical Storm Gustav. Volunteers of America was featured the night of August 29th on Anderson Cooper's CNN program as part of the network’s coverage of the third anniversary of Katrina.
CNN interviewed Ricky Murray, a 42-year-old client served by Volunteers of America and the Louisiana Spirit hurricane recovery program. After Katrina, Mr. Murray’s Slidell, La. home was flooded with approximately seven feet of water and he has lived in a trailer in the yard with his wife and three children ever since. He suffered a heart attack following the storm and has not been able to work a steady job to support his family. FEMA notified Mr. Murray that they would pick up his family’s trailer at the end of this month, and the stress was threatening to destroy his marriage.
Read more about Mr. Murray’s story. Read more about Volunteers of America's continuing Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts.
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KPLC 7 News - September 5, 2008 |
Mental Effects of Active Hurricane Season
The fear of another hurricane after losing everything in Rita, the costs of an evacuation, not to mention the hassle, and the anxiety of the possibilities of more storms entering the gulf takes it's toll on Southwest Louisiana. "Hurricane season takes its toll, especially, if it's an active hurricane season," said Michelle Trenton with Samaritan Counseling. The mandatory evacuation for Gustav brought back all of the emotional turmoil that people have been just now recovering from," said Kay Vanchiere with Volunteers of America and also Louisiana Spirit Hurricane Recovery. More>
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2theAdvocate.com - June 6, 2008 |
Volunteers of America's "Day of Service" to Help St. Bernard
Volunteers of America has organized an army of 350 people and charged them with the mission of helping rebuild parts of St. Bernard Parish. For more information, click here.
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NOLA.com - March 22, 2008 |
Market Crunch Threatens N.O. Affordable Housing Efforts
Volunteers of America couldn't be more excited that its first affordable housing project in New Orleans since the storm, The Terraces on Tulane senior apartments, is scheduled to begin construction next month. For more information, click here.
Press Releases
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06/10/2008
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Volunteers of America Honors the New Orleans Saints’ Owner Tom Benson for His Commitment to Rebuilding the Community Following Hurricane Katrina
Volunteers of America Honors Flank Glaviano, CNN and New Orleans Saints Owner Tom Benson for their Commitment to the Hurricane Katrina Recovery Effort
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05/30/2008
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Volunteers of America Organizes Army of 350 to Rebuild Parts of St. Bernard Parish
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03/14/2008
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Seniors Coming Back Home to New Affordable Housing Community: Volunteers of America Breaks Ground on Property March 14 in New Orleans
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12/13/2006 |
Major League Baseball Players and Volunteers of America Step Up to the Plate for Hurricane Survivors in Mississippi and Alabama
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08/15/2006 |
Volunteers of America Re-Opens the Duvernay Residence
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10/31/2005
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Volunteers of America and Major Baseball League Players Team Up to Help Hurricane Victims in Alabama and Mississippi
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09/08/2005
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Volunteers of America Focuses Nationwide Resources on Hurricane Katrina Recovery
Spirit Articles
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Winter 2007/2008
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Rebuilding Homes, Restoring Hope
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Fall 2007 |
Children Affected By Gulf Coast Hurricanes Find Comfort In A Box
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Summer 2007 |
The Connections of Caring
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Spring 2007 |
Baseball Players Trust Makes Major Gift to Katrina Recovery Efforts
Gould and LeBlanc Honored as Nonprofit Executives of the Year
"Higher Ground" - The Story of Volunteers of America Staff in New Orleans Supporting People with Disabilities Immediately After Hurricane Katrina
Volunteers of America is proud to tell the story of our staff members in New Orleans who support people with significant disabilities. In the weeks and months following Katrina, many of our direct support staff provided 24-hour assistance to the consumers they served, often living with them under difficult circumstances, helping them rebuild their lives in the city of New Orleans. Partnering with the University of Wisconsin, focus groups were conducted with these direct support professionals which led to the development of a report and a soon-to-be released video.
Titled "Higher Ground," this magazine-like report and the film highlight the dedication and commitment of this often undervalued workforce. ANCOR, the national trade organization for mental developmental disabilities (MRDD) service providers contributed to the development of the video is working with us to distribute these materials as widely as possible, using them to advocate for better wages, benefits and recognition for this valuable workforce.
The report and the video tell the first-hand stories of staff members who are dedicated to the people with disabilities, who made enormous personnel sacrifices to ensure on-going care and who continue to work under extreme pressures as the city strives to recover from this catastrophic disaster.
Additional Resources
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A Practitioners Guide to Rehabbing Flooded Homes
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The methods of determining how badly a flooded home has been damaged and how to repair it are relatively similar, regardless of the location and whatever the cause - high rains, flooded rivers, coastal waves, or hurricanes. To assist in the rehabilitation, HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research and the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control recently released a guide for professional builders and contractors restoring flooded single-family homes. Rehabbing Flooded Houses: A Guide for Builders and Contractors emphasizes safe practices and important activities in the rehabbing process that address common health hazards in flooded homes, determine a home's structural soundness, and prevent or minimize damage from future flooding. This bilingual guidebook, presented in both Spanish and English, is available as a free download from HUD USER at www.huduser.org/publications/destech/Rehab_Flood_Houses.html