Hurricane Laura Disaster Relief
Hurricane Laura leaves nearly 200 people with disabilities without a place to call home.
As Hurricane Laura approached Southwest Louisiana late last month we all experienced fear and uncertainty of what we could expect in the aftermath of a near Category 5 storm. The destruction is far worse than we could have ever imagined. Evergreen began evacuations ahead of the forecasted landfall to protect nearly 200 people we serve and staff from Evergreen’s West Calcasieu and Southwest Louisiana divisions. Laura traveled up the state leaving a trail of devastation behind in nearly every one of Evergreen’s divisions in Louisiana.
“I am begging, I am pleading for Americans not to forget about Lake Charles.” – Mayor Nic Hunter
You may wonder how you can help and make the greatest impact in the communities affected. You can restore lives through your support! We are facing the task of repairing and rebuilding over thirty community homes with significant damage. Some homes may be a total loss.
The people we serve have lost their homes and in some cases, everything they own. Clothes, shoes, pictures, electronics, furniture – all destroyed. We are estimating that replacing the personal property of those we serve will cost $2,000 – $3,000 per person.
Almost all of our homes in Southwest Louisiana remain without power, and we are told it could be several more weeks before it is restored. Some of our evacuated homes have had valuable items stolen from them, adding to these painful losses.
Give to Rebuild and Restore
The cost of alternative lodging, food, supplies and related expenses for the 164 people in these divisions is over $7,000 a day. This is before factoring in significant overtime expenses.
This crisis was made worse because of prolonged power outages. Some of our homes have small generators, but that doesn’t protect against dangerous heat. We are seeking to install large generators that power air conditioning in every one of our Louisiana homes. The cost ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 per generator.
After an unprecedented year of COVID-19 outbreaks and shutdowns resulting in over $2 million dollars in unexpected expenses, we need your help more than ever. Evergreen can come back from this major setback and continue our life-changing work of providing safe and comfortable homes, quality care and meaningful programs for the most vulnerable among us. You can make that happen!
If you have any questions or would like to make an in-kind donation, please email Cathey Crow, our Director of Donor Relations at [email protected].
Some of our homes are a total loss. Other homes will take weeks before they are inhabitable again. Most of the people we serve in West Calcasieu lost everything.
While we wait to return home…
As we wait to return home, many of the people served by Evergreen are at a summer camp called Camp Gilmont, located in Gilbert, Texas. Camp Gilmont was able to accommodate nearly 100 of those we serve and our staff members with only hours of notice. We will always be grateful!
