Resiliency: CCA shares first hand the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida
On August 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida made landfall, striking Port Fourchon, LA as a category four hurricane. Catholic Charities of Acadiana (CCA) began conferencing with the staff of Catholic Charities of Houma-Thibodaux (CCHT) before landfall, planning to provide mutual aid in the aftermath of the storm, similar to the support CCA provided to Lake Charles after Hurricane Laura's impact. CCA helped to manage communications, logistics, and donation management for CCHT while critical infrastructure was being restored in the Houma-Thibodaux region.
Today, CCA continues to assist the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in responding to the effects of Hurricane Ida in Terrebone, Lafourche, and Grand Isle. We have deployed more than 300 volunteers who have worked 2,408 hours, served 10,300 meals, distributed $75,000 in gift cards for basic needs, and continued to coordinate volunteer teams and logistical support through our regional warehouse in Acadiana.
To gain an understanding of the catastrophic damage that occurred in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, we have to begin with the physical devastation on the ground and emotional devastation in the atmosphere.
“The human suffering that I witnessed in Southeast Louisiana was some of the worst I’ve seen on U.S. soil.”
Driving by entire neighborhoods in which the street was not discernible from the lots, we noticed splinters, shingles, trees, and commercial vessels upside down in the bayous. The atmosphere of anxiety juxtaposed with the silence left by the void of an active power grid was an eerie reminder of how devastating the situation was. Hospitals had shut down, shelters were inoperable, generators and fuel were scarce, and entire communities were without hot meals for days. There was no cell service, no internet, no bathrooms, or running water. Our teams lacked communication while working in the hardest hit areas, often adding delay and frustration to the efforts to bring relief.
And then, volunteers began raising their hands to be sent into the devastation. Toiling in the 100 degree Louisiana heat, volunteers from Louisiana and across the country reminded the people of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux that they were not alone. Catholic Charities of Acadiana coordinated volunteers to tarp roofs, remove large trees and debris, provide medical care, muck-out homes, distribute food, water, and gas, and assist in collecting damage reports. Priests from both the Dioceses of Lafayette and Lake Charles began adopting church parishes and the surrounding neighborhoods, offering assistance.
Even people whose homes were destroyed from the storm were able to use what little time they had to help their communities.
Long after storms are gone from the public eye, Catholic Charities of Acadiana remains engaged in the work of recovery. The road for the Bayou Region is long, and the work is daunting, but Catholic Charities of Acadiana will continue to provide support and resources for as long as it takes, just as we have done in the past in the aftermath of the 2016 Floods, Hurricane Laura, and Hurricane Delta. There is work to accomplish across the entire coast of Louisiana, and it will take all of us to recover: our resources, our time, and our prayers.
“It’s comforting to know that our God can bring hope to His people through our willingness to serve. The gratitude that we experienced will stay with me forever.”