AHAH Monthly Program Update - Louisiana (July 2021)

LOUISIANA HURRICANE RELIEF UPDATE JULY 2021

TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT

9,028 92

LIVES IMPACTED*

VOLUNTEERS

2,034

VOLUNTEER DAYS

177

JOBS COMPLETED

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

Current Activities Over the past month, our team completed their twenty-second roof as part of our Resilient Roof Repair Program. With such a small team, the challenges of COVID-19 and adverse weather conditions, we’re incredibly proud of this roofing program, which has so far supported 22 families on the path to safely returning to their homes. Due to extreme heat, this program is now on pause for the remainder of the summer, and we aim to reassess its feasibility in the fall.

In the meantime, our focus remains on interior home rebuilds, as well as mucking and gutting and mold sanitation, and we’re delighted to announce that we will be extending this work until December 2021, thanks to being awarded additional funding support.

We're also excited to announce that we have begun the transition from our DM12 volunteer model back to a normal operating model.

Starting July 25, 2021, we will be welcoming volunteers with no minimum time commitment. If you're interested in joining us, please visit our website.

Partner Spotlight Our collaboration with SBP and the Fuller Center continues, with encouragement from the Long Term Recovery Committee, which has made grants to all three nonprofits. In this area of Louisiana, we are the only remaining national/international relief organizations taking on hurricane repair scopes of work. Watch this clip from KPLCTV to learn more.

Photos: (top) a volunteer finishing off a roof, (left) a volunteer working on an interior Learn about us at: rebuild.

allhandsandhearts.org

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.

Our Work Our team has been assisting impacted families since early September 2020. With the support of AmeriCorps NCCC members, we initially focused solely on response activities such as debris and tree removal, roof tarping, muck & gut and mold sanitation. Since December 2020, we have expanded our work to include a Resilient Roof Repair Program, interior home repair and construction of ADA (Americans with Disabilities) compliant ramps. We are committed to stay in Southwest Louisiana through December 2021, and will continue with both response and recovery activities, to address unmet needs due to the fall 2020 hurricanes and spring 2021 flooding.

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.

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

Photos: (top) Team Leader Kris points out the damage sustained at Dayna’s home, (middle & bottom) the team replacing the flooring in Betty’s home.

Our Partners

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

info@allhandsandhearts.org (508) 758-8211