Helping agencies in Acadiana were poised Sunday to react to expected damages in eastern Louisiana, as the path of Hurricane Ida became more likely.
“It remains to be seen what our role will be,” said Ben Broussard, spokesman for Catholic Charities of Acadiana. “Churches and the faithful look to us for leadership in how to respond to disaster.”
Broussard said early predictions for the storm’s path included it passing directly through Acadiana. By Sunday morning, projections were that the storm would pass closer to New Orleans and eastern Louisiana.
“We’re now evaluating several options” for helping, he said. “We have neighbors to the east that may need our help and we may also need to care for those who evacuate here. You don’t know until the storm comes through.”
Broussard said that many people within the sphere of recovery work for Catholic Charities remain in recovery mode from earlier storms — all the way back to 2016, in isolated cases but certainly for Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020.
Right now, he said, the agency is seeking donations and volunteers for immediate help. He said Catholic Charities may need people to do damage assessment and volunteer for “muck-up crews,” to clean out damaged homes. He said they may form chainsaw crews, depending upon tree damage.
Carlee Alm Labar, CEO of United Way of Acadiana, said the local VOAD chapter — Acadiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster – planned to meet at 10 a.m. Monday to review damages and make plans. VOAD here includes more than 70 organizations that take part in disaster relief.
To help through Catholic Charities:
- Monetary Donation Link: https://give.classy.org/disaster
- Text to Give: Text RELIEF to 797979
- Send checks to Catholic Charities of Acadiana, PO Box 3177, Lafayette, LA 70502
- Disaster Amazon Wishlist: In kind donations to assist in disaster https://bit.ly/CCADisasterAmazon
To contribute through United Way of Acadiana: