The efforts of CCANO volunteers after gutting a home flooded by Hurricane Isaac in LaPlace

Published on September 12, 2012

Although it seems Hurricane Isaac is off the radar of many including the national news, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans continues to address the existent and long-term need for services and support in Isaac affected areas.

CCANO has been providing relief services to residents of the six affected Civil Parishes in the Archdiocese: St. John the Baptist, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. Tammany, St. Bernard, and Orleans since the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Isaac. In addition to the efforts highlighted below, Archbishop Gregory Aymond has conducted pastoral visits to the affected areas to speak and pray with the victims.

• 27 CCANO Case Managers have been assisting with D-SNAP applications, FEMA applications, assessments,  dissemination of information, and referrals and 7 Crisis Counselors and 2 interns have been providing counseling at:
  • Laffite Town Hall
  • Hope Haven Center, Marrero
  • Hispanic Apostolate at St. Lawrence the Martyr, Kenner (Case management only)
  • Ascension of Our Lord, LaPlace
  • Red Cross Shelter, St. John the Baptist
  • Our Lady of Perpetual Help (temporarily until sites can be set up in Port Sulfur and Point a la Hache)
  • St. Anslem, Madisonville
  • Our Lady of Lourdes, Violet

• CCANO staff and volunteers have been working as interpreters for D-SNAP workers to process the applications of Spanish, Vietnamese, and Cambodian speakers at CCANO sites as well as the centers set up at the Alario Center in Westwego and at UNO.

• CCANO has been operating Camp Hope, a shelter in St. Bernard for Plaquemines Parish evacuees returning from North Louisiana since September 4^th. 67 displaced residents arrived on Tuesday the 7^th, that number grew to 80, and all but 7 residents have been able to move back to their area. CCANO provided meals, case management, crisis counseling, and medical assessments to those in the shelter and coordinated donations of hygiene products, food, and water.

• CCANO staff has distributed meals, water, ice, cleaning kits, hygiene kits and diapers to residents in LaPlace, Braithwaite, Verret, Lafitte, Madisonville, and Slidell.

• CCANO coordinated a day of service for Archdiocesan youth on Saturday September 8^th, in which over 225 people sorted clothing donations, helped residents clean out their homes, and worked at Second Harvest Food Bank.

Youth volunteers help clean debris from Ascension of Our Lord School in LaPlace as part of CCANO Volunteer Day 9/8

• We have received and coordinated many donations including:
  • 1,000 cleaning kits and 1,000 hygiene kits from the Church of Latter Day Saints
  • 100 dehumidifiers from DeLonghi America Inc. in New Jersey
  • Ice and over-the-counter medication from Walmart
  • 210 pairs of new shoes from Robert Gilberti
  • 500 meals from the Salvation Army
  • Over 10,000  Meals from Second Harvest Food Bank

• CCANO staff has been embedded at various EOCs and have been working closely with the Red Cress and FEMA.

• We have been coordinating efforts with Second Harvest Food Bank, Beacon of Hope, the Salvation Army, Save the Children, the Knights of Columbus, Greater New Orleans Disaster Recovery Partnerships, The Church of Latter Day Saints, First Baptist Churches of Madisonville and Mandeville, and other organizations.

Our work continues with planning and coordinating more Isaac Relief  volunteer opportunities and continuing to coordinate with local governments and agencies to assess and address the needs of Isaac-impacted communities. CCANO is formulating a long-term response plan to assist those affected by Hurricane Isaac and actively seeking committed support to ensure that those affected will not be forgotten.

Click here to view photos of CCANO Isaac Response and Relief activities on Facebook. Be sure to LIKE Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans on Facebook and follow us @cathcharitiesNO on Twitter to stay updated!