Press Releases
HURRICANE ANNIVERSARY MEDIA KIT
Released on September 20, 2007
RECOVERY CORPS AWARDS $300,000 TO REBUILDING TOGETHER-CALCASIEU TO REPAIR STORM-DAMAGED HOMES AND PROVIDES ADDITIONAL AID TO HURRICANE RITA SURVIVORS
BATON ROUGE, LA. – As part of its ongoing mission to aid Louisiana residents whose dwellings were damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps announced today that it has awarded $300,000 to Rebuilding Together-Calcasieu for home repairs in Calcasieu, Cameron and Jefferson Davis parishes and assistance with household appliances and furniture.
More than 200,000 homes were destroyed in Louisiana alone on Aug. 29, 2005, by Hurricane Katrina and on Sept. 24, 2005, by Hurricane Rita. Nearly 1,500 people died, and more than half a million Louisianans were displaced. Earlier this year, the Recovery Corps invested $400,000 in the Southwest Louisiana United Methodist Committee on Relief, or UMCOR, and more than $3.3 million to other organizations across South Louisiana for home repairs and other housing initiatives.
With Recovery Corps funding, Rebuilding Together Calcasieu, Inc. will identify 20 households that require financial and construction assistance in repairing their hurricane-damaged home and equipping their home with furniture or appliances. Each qualified household can receive up to $15,000 for building materials and construction assistance for minor repairs and/or assistance with major appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers or for furniture.
The Recovery Corps, a non-profit 501c3 organization that is based in Baton Rouge, La., was formed in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Through contractual arrangements with case management organizations and other non-profit organizations, the Recovery Corps has assisted more than 30,000 hurricane-affected households with recovery planning, housing, children’s services and emotional well-being needs since January 2006.
Rebuilding Together-Calcasieu is a non-profit organization that rehabilitates homes for low-income, elderly, and homeowners with disabilities. Based in Lake Charles, La., this organization’s mission is to make homes safe, secure, and weatherproof while restoring pride and dignity to the homeowner.
“For many families and elderly people affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, recovery has yet to begin. The Louisiana Family Recovery Corps is encouraging long-term support from the public and private sector, faith-based organizations and other non-profits to help these hurricane survivors. We are continuing to seek new funding to support programs that enable Louisiana residents to return home and resume a life that is as good or better than it was before either of these catastrophic storms,” commented Raymond Jetson, chief executive officer of the Recovery Corps.
Additional Aid for Rita Survivors
Since the Recovery Corps began delivering services in January 2006, it has allocated nearly $2.5 million in funding and assisted more than 650 households in Southwest Louisiana with recovery planning, household establishment and emotional wellbeing services in the wake of Hurricane Rita.
Jetson provided several examples of programs that the Recovery Corps has supported for Hurricane Rita survivors.
Since April 2007, the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps has provided $400,000 to the United Methodist Committee on Relief to repair more than 60 storm-damaged homes in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes.
During the summers of 2006 and 2007, the Recovery Corps has invested more than $300,000 in summer programs to provide more than 350 children in Louisiana parishes that were affected by Hurricane Rita with the opportunity to participate in enrichment activities.
The Recovery Corps allocated $25,000 to the Southwest Louisiana United Way for the SWLA Child CARE Collaborative to provide storm-affected child care facilities with grant opportunities to receive financial assistance for the purchase of education materials and tools for minor repairs.
For the 2007-2008 school year, the Recovery Corps has allocated more than $15,000 to provide more than 650 students in southwest Louisiana with school uniforms.
Collaborated with the United Way of Southwest Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish School Board and the Calcasieu Long Term Recovery Committee to create the Southwest Louisiana Volunteer Housing Center. Located at 1104 Recreation Blvd., Lake Charles, La., the center has housed more than 700 volunteers and contributed to more than 30,000 hours of service to supporting the Southwest Louisiana area with hurricane recovery projects. The center, which is the only of its kind in Louisiana dedicated to volunteer housing, can accommodate 200 volunteers per night and can serve as a shelter for first responders in the event of future emergencies.
For more information on the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, please visit www.recoverycorps.org.
