Disaster ready for the sake of others

At the start of hurricane season, our southern instinct tells us to batten the hatches and prepare ourselves and our property to withstand any storm. Here at Catholic Charities of Acadiana, we are given the commission to be disaster ready for the sake of others.

When a major storm comes, recovery is often challenging and lengthy. For those that we serve, it would be, without our help, impossible. 

As the official disaster responding agency of the Diocese of Lafayette, our call takes us out to our neighbors in an eight-parish region. We train year-round to provide leadership and coordination in disaster relief and long-term recovery efforts in Acadiana. We work to train and deploy volunteer teams and utilize resources in ways to best assist survivors in their time of need. 

We are so grateful for the volunteers who accompany us in this critical work all year long and would love to invite more to join us! Check out our new Volunteer Intake Form to raise your hand as a volunteer for our next disaster response.  

Since 2021, Catholic Charities of Acadiana has fulfilled over 1,300 requests for assistance related to Hurricanes Laura and Delta alone. And since the landfall of Hurricane Ida in 2021, Catholic Charities of Acadiana has coordinated 10,765 meals for survivors in Terrebonne, Lafourche, and Grand Isle and deployed over $200,000 in immediate response supplies and efforts, such as essential relief cards, mucking and gutting, feeding, gasoline delivery, and roof tarping.