AHAH Monthly Program Update - Louisiana Hurricane Laura/Delta (October 2021)

LOUISIANA HURRICANES LAURA & DELTA RELIEF UPDATE OCTOBER 2021

TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT

9,052 15,922

LIVES IMPACTED*

VOLUNTEER HOURS

2,683

VOLUNTEER DAYS

258

JOBS COMPLETED

*includes 8,675 people who we indirectly impacted while working at a distribution center

Current Activities The team at All Hands and Hearts has been in awe of the devastation that communities in Louisiana continue to face in the wake of recent dangerous storms. We have continued to work diligently to help those affected by Hurricanes Laura and Delta last year, while we assessed and launched a program to help those affected by Ida this past August. We will never cease our commitment to lending a helping hand.

The beginning of September marked the completion of 21 roof repairs and the interior repairs on a number of homes. These included improvements for three very special ladies, Betty M., Theresa R. and Marge H. We hope that these efforts will provide these families with a sense of returning to a feeling of normalcy and safety.

Our goal is to stay with this community, transitioning to finishing interior repairs in 15 of the homes by the program’s scheduled end date this December. We will be so grateful for the experience of accomplishing this goal for everyone we had the privilege of helping.

Volunteer News To accomplish these goals, our caring and dedicated volunteers are instrumental to our work. Our volunteers on program are steadily increasing in number, despite challenges due to COVID-19. With more volunteers on the ground, we are eager to help more people. Join us for at least two weeks, and your flight will be covered by our generous airline partners.

We also successfully executed a hurricane evacuation drill, which was a beneficial experience to help our team on the ground stay prepared for future needs to evacuate this hurricane season.

allhandsandhearts.org

Photos: (top) a friendly cat at our home base (left) some volunteers taking a well-deserved break.

Disaster Profile Louisiana was hit by five storms in 2020, the two largest of which caused significant damage. On August 27, 2020, Hurricane Laura pounded the Louisiana and Texas coasts, making landfall near Cameron, Louisiana as a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds. Six weeks later, on October 9, 2020, Hurricane Delta made landfall as a Category 2 storm near Creole, Louisiana.

It followed a similar path as Hurricane Laura and compounded the damages already left by previous storms, as well as causing significantly more rainfall accumulation, with several places reporting up to 18” within a few hours.

In the week of May 17, 2021, extensive rainfall caused severe flooding and a state of emergency was declared in Louisiana. Many of the most severely affected neighborhoods were those still recovering from Hurricanes Laura and Delta. To add to this growing disaster, a year after Laura made landfall, Hurricane Ida devastated the same region this past August. We are committed to helping the people of Louisiana.

Community Spotlight Daniel was given his small house by his family, friends and neighbors.

Unfortunately, Hurricane Laura’s strong winds and heavy rains critically damaged the roof, floors and most walls. Working with SBP and Fuller Center, we have started the repair process to bring Daniel back home. We are so grateful for the village of nonprofits that continue to not only support these warriors but also each other. In fact, we are the only organizations still doing long-term recovery in the area.

About All Hands and Hearts We effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. We communicate directly with local leaders and community members and then deploy our unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, helping to build safer, more resilient schools, homes and infrastructure.

Photos (top) the team working together on Daniel’s house in a COVID safe way, (middle) volunteers making improvements in a home in Louisiana , (bottom) volunteers taking measurements for Daniel’s home

Our Partners

Supported by a grant from The Volunteer Louisiana Commission in the Office of the Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser

We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the seventh year in a row. This year only seven percent of rated nonprofits received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency.

info@allhandsandhearts.org (508) 758-8211