Hurricane Isaac Relief Update

• 10 Case Managers and 4 interpreters are still assisting with FEMA applications, assessments,  dissemination of information, and referrals and 5 Crisis Counselors, 1 clinical social workers, 1 psychiatrist 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
  • St. Anslem, Madisonville
  • Our Lady of Lourdes, Violet
• In the next few days we will be providing case management and counseling at 3 additional sites: St. Thomas (Pointe A la Hache), St. Patrick (Port Sulphur), and the DRC in Braithwaite.

Distribution of Supplies

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

Volunteers

• CCANO staff and volunteers worked for 11 straight days as interpreters for D-SNAP workers to process the applications of Spanish, Vietnamese, Portuguese, and Chinese speakers at the Alario Center in Westwego and at UNO. 56 interpreters volunteered over 748 hours.
• CCANO has coordinated 2 days of service. On Saturday, September 8^th, over 225 people responded to our invitation to Archdiocesan youth volunteers. They sorted clothing donations, helped residents clean out their homes, and worked at Second Harvest Food Bank. On Saturday, September 15^th, 60 adult volunteers worked to gut 7 homes, a few of which belonged to elderly and disabled individuals who would not have been able to do the work if not for the generosity of volunteers.

CCANO operated Camp Hope in St. Bernard Parish from Sept. 4- Sept 18. Camp Hope housed for Plaquemines Parish evacuees, provided meals, case management, crisis counseling, and medical assessments, and coordinated donations of hygiene products, food, and water. At its peak capacity, Camp Hope housed 80 displaced residents.

Cornerstone Builders are providing services to clean up Irish Bayou in Orleans Parish.

CCANO is planning for the reimplementation of Operation Helping Hands, our rebuilding ministry begun after Hurricane Katrina.

CCANO Community Collaborators include: 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.

CCANO staff was embedded at various EOCs and have been working closely with the Red Cress and FEMA. We are continuing to work closely with Parish government on long-term recovery plans.

Fundraising: We are actively seeking additional support and funding to offset the costs of preparation and relief efforts following Hurricane Isaac. This includes the cost of ramping Operation Helping Hands, our rebuild program started in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Donations: 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