Published on September 4, 2012
In the words of Archbishop Gregory Aymond, the Catholic Church, through Catholic Charities, will serve as “the hands and heart of Jesus” in caring for those recovering from the flooding and wind damage caused by last week’s storm.
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Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans CEO Gordon Wadge and Archbishop Aymond at the St. John Parish Emergency Operation Center in LaPlace
CCANO has determined 6 priority areas to establish CCANO services for those most in need:
1. St. John the Baptist Parish (LaPlace)
2. Plaquemines Parish
3. Lafitte
4. Slidell/Madisonville
5. St. Bernard
6. Venetian Isles area of Orleans Parish
Specific locations where we will be offering counseling, case management and coordinating points of distribution for food and supplies and other services are being determined now.
Since Thursday, August 30, CCANO counselors have been meeting with evacuees in local area shelters to offer support and case management in hard-hit Isaac areas.
CCANO staff have embedded in Emergency Operations Centers to help assess need.
CCANO staff has been working closely with Second Harvest Food Bank and local church parishes to distribute food, hot meals and supplies to communities in need.
• On Saturday, September 1, St. Anselm Church in Madisonville was able to distribute food boxes provided by CCANO/Second Harvest.
• On Sunday, September 2, CCANO in collaboration with Second Harvest Food Bank and the parishioners of Ascension of Our Lord Parishioners provided 2400 hot meals and 600 buckets of cleaning supplies to St. John residents. Mosquito repellant was also distributed.
Since Monday, August 27, our Deaf Action Center team led by Shari Bernius has been providing sign language interpretation for important news conferences and updates aired on local TV stations.
Thursday-Saturday, August 30-September 2, CCANO Leadership and Archbishop Aymond visited some hard hit areas affected by Isaac including Plaquemines Parish, Lafitte, Madisonville, Slidell, LaPlace and St. Bernard. The Archbishop met with the community and extended the prayers and support. CCANO will be there with open hands and hearts to assist in recovery efforts.
Catholic Charities is strategizing and assessing the possibility of ramping up Operation Helping Hands. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s flooding, OHH gutted nearly 2000 homes of the elderly, poor and disabled. Hundreds of homes were rebuilt and repainted, allowing people to return home.