A Year after Hurricane Katrina, Volunteers Still Desperately Needed in Gulf Coast
Catholic Charities USA - News and Info
A year after Hurricane Katrina, Catholic Charities agencies in Louisiana and Mississippi are in desperate need of volunteers to clean-up or repair homes destroyed by the hurricane.
An estimated 92,000 houses in New Orleans and 200,000 houses in the metro area were severely damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
The rebuilding effort by Catholic Charities in New Orleans is coordinated through its volunteer program called Operation Helping Hands, which was established to mobilize volunteers from across the country to help seniors, the disabled, and those with little or no flood insurance gut homes devastated from the hurricane so the rebuilding process can begin.
To date, an estimated 4,500 volunteers from across the nation and Canada have come to New Orleans as a part of Operation Helping Hands to assist in the recovery work for the residents and the community, taking time from their daily schedules to provide help and create hope for hurricane victims.
To support this effort, Catholic Charities works in close cooperation with community, business, church, college, and other teams who will also recruit volunteers, provide accommodations and meals, and supervise the work.
The work that still needs to be done to allow the victims to return to a sense of normalcy is not possible to complete in a weekend.
Need for Skilled Volunteers in Mississippi Biloxi and Jackson are also in desperate need and have issued appeals for volunteers, especially skilled volunteers.
In addition to providing help by gutting homes and donating supplies, volunteers can also make a difference by relaying what they have seen to those outside the Gulf Coast.
