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September 4, 2008 For immediate release
CATHOLIC CHARITIES AND ARCHDIOCESE MOBILIZE FOR HURRICANE RELIEF
Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of New Orleans have staff and volunteers throughout the state of Louisiana caring for evacuees and clients of Catholic Charities programs and Archdiocesan nursing home residents who were evacuated out of harm’s way prior to Hurricane Gustav.
Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans along with Catholic Charities USA emergency workers are providing relief in Baton Rouge. Volunteers from Providence Hospital in Mobile are heading to Baton Rouge to help care for residents of Chateau de Notre Dame nursing home, currently located in St. George’s School gym. Residents of Wynhoven Nursing Home are being moved back to the facility in Marrero.
Catholic Charities Co-Presidents Jim Kelly and Gordon Wadge say the agency will focus on the following areas:
- Providing food and water through Second Harvest Food Bank in conjunction with Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest)
- Reopening Catholic Charities programs, such as PACE, Head Start, and Community Centers
- Providing mental health services and case management
- Assisting those evacuated using the City Assisted Evacuation Plan (CAEP) when they return to New Orleans and Jefferson Parish
Catholic Charities has a point person assigned to the Houma-Terrebonne Parish region to assess needs there and a point person in Assumption Parish to assess needs in that parish and lower Lafourche Parish.
Available for interviews:
- Archbishop Alfred Hughes
- Gordon Wadge and Jim Kelly, CCANO Co-Presidents
- Dr. Elmore Rigamer, CCANO Medical Director on mental health issues
- Martin Gutierrez, executive director of Neighborhood and Community Services on reopening of Community Centers and services offered there, also on issues affecting the Hispanic Community
- Colleen D’Aquin, director of Emergency Management for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans
- Sarah Comiskey, director of Communications Archdiocese of New Orleans, on overall response of Archdiocese and Archdiocesan schools
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