Tag: Hurricane Ida Relief

Gonzalez Internet Provider Surprises Nonprofits with Ida Recovery Donations

Two nonprofit organizations were surprised with $2,500 grants by the generosity of a Gonzales internet provider, according to this news article from Houma Today.  REV Broadband and Vision Communications recently wanted to give back to local organizations that have been giving “so much over the last several months” during Hurricane Ida recovery, according to Chief Financial Officer Peter Louviere. This wanting to give back has resulted in the awarding of a $2,500 donation to the Bless Your Heart volunteer organization in Larose, Louisiana. Volunteers with Bless Your Heart have been working continuously to help residents rebuild from damages that were sustained from Hurricane Ida, which was particularly devastating to the area.

In addition to Bless Your Heart receiving a donation, REV Broadband, which is the parent company of several telecommunications businesses such as RTC, EATEL & EATEL Business, Vision Communications & VENYU, also gave a $2,500 donation to the St. John United Way, which is also located in Larose.

According to REV Broadband and Vision Communications, both companies were quite surprised by the unexpected donations. A news release from REV reported that “representatives from both organizations were invited to individual meetings to discuss the potential of filming a production about their work in the community — specifically in the form of aiding citizens affected by Hurricane Ida. In the place of a meeting, the nonprofit representatives were surprised with a donation made on behalf of REV’s executive leadership.”

Both the St. John United Way and Bless Your Heart have continued to play big roles in helping the community with Ida recovery. The Category 4 storm made landfall on August 29.   CFO Peter Louviere told HoumaToday, “we continue to hear so much about the great work these two organizations continue to do – bringing positive, lasting impact to the communities we serve and live within. It’s not only an honor to be able to present these donations to such deserving organizations but to do so on behalf of our 400 employees really makes this rewarding.”

REV Broadband reported that more than 60,000 of its customers were impacted in some way by Hurricane Ida, so for them to make an effort to donate funds right back to the on-the-ground organizations that were and still are assisting their customer base is an effort to show support to a community that was impacted by the detrimental storm. So far, Bless Your Heart reported that they’ve raised over $500,000, have helped over 1,000 people, and have donated more than 100,000 pounds of supplies since 2020, when the nonprofit organization was founded.

One of the people who helped to launch Bless Your Heart is Jeray Jarreau, an attorney in LaRose. He gave a statement relaying that he was particularly grateful for the donation. He said, “Bless Your Heart is overwhelmed and humbled that RTC-EATEL-Vision would choose to donate to our organization. RTC-EATEL-Vision’s support of our organization exemplifies its continued dedication to help[ing] Lafourche Parish recover after the devastating effects of Hurricane Ida.”

This news from REV Broadband comes at a similar time that The Bayou Community Foundation has announced that their Bayou Recovery Fund for Hurricane Ida Relief has awarded over $3.7 million to nonprofits located in Terrebonne, Lafourche, and Grand Isle. While the full list of grants can be found at this link, HoumaToday reported that the grant money was essentially broken down as follows:

  • $1.4 million for emergency services immediately following the Aug. 29 storm.
  • $1.4 million for housing programs
  • $700,000 for direct financial assistance to individuals, families, emergency responders, andcommunity recovery projects
  • $230,000 for local nonprofit organizations to repair their buildings or replace lost equipment so that they could resume operations and deliver critical programs to residents.

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Hurricane Ida Relief for Louisiana Citizens

Many Louisiana citizens and their families were unfavorably affected by the dangerous winds, storm surges, and torrential conditions of Hurricane Ida in August, but many Louisiana organizations and communities have banded together to create a plethora of resources for anyone affected by the storm to take advantage of, according to several news outlets, including KATC.

Hurricane Ida was the second major hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, and it stands as one of the most damaging hurricanes to ever strike Louisiana. Worth noting, Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon on August 29, 2021: the sixteenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. In its path, it left destruction that devastated the bayou and river parishes of Louisiana. In true Louisiana form, citizens across the state in areas less affected by the storm jumped at the opportunity to provide valuable resources and start mutual aid funds and donation drives for those impacted.

FEMA Assistance

All homeowners and renters in the 25 Louisiana parishes hit by Hurricane Ida can now begin to apply for FEMA assistance. On the Wednesday following the storm, Governor John Bel Edwards announced, “everybody out there who is a Hurricane Ida survivor needs to apply to FEMA for individual assistance. It doesn’t happen automatically. To apply, go to disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.

Operation Blue Roof

One of the more immediately helpful resources available to homeowners in select parishes is the ability to apply to have the Army Corps of Engineers cover their damaged roofs for free by using fiber-reinforced sheeting throughOperation Blue Roof. To sign up, go to blueroof.us or call 1-888-766-3258. The Army Corp had installed approximately 14,000 blue tarps in southwest Louisiana last year after Hurricane Laura.

Food Assistance

In Ida’s wake, many grocery stores were closed, damaged, or both, meaning that much of their food supply was lost, defrosted, or destroyed as a result. This led to many food banks thinking of unconventional ways to procure food for the communities they serve. When they were made aware of this, authorities at the parish, state, and federal level began siling and processing paperwork to expand the state’s food stamp program to those suffering from the storm who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for food stamps due to their income level being too high.

In light of Hurricane Ida,  DSNAP,  the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is expected to be activated soon. This version of the program not only expands SNAP benefits to more people but also waives some previously-held restrictions such as participants not being allowed to purchase “hot food products prepared for immediate consumption” with their benefits. The waiver being applied for will allow for “SNAP recipients to use their benefits to buy prepared foods available at any retailer that accepts EBT cards, usually grocery stores.”

It’s expected that DSNAP benefits are be approved and go into effect one to two weeks after Ida made landfall, so until then citizens should pre-register by visiting www.dcfs.louisiana.gov/cafe or by calling 225-342-6700 between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. Additionally, anyone wanting to receive DSNAP updates should text ‘LADSNAP’ to 898-211.

Outside of DNSAP benefits, Louisiana’s food banks have been hard at work coordinating with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry for supplies. Additionally, Koret Patty, the executive director of the statewide association of food banks known as Feeding Louisiana, applied on the Tuesday following Ida’s impact to temporarily suspend the proof of income documentation required for those receiving commodities from a food bank.

In the week following the storm, food banks in the greater Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas were setting up food and water stations across their respective cities; the Red Cross had set up mobile kitchens in LaPlace, Morgan City, and Hammond; several food and supply stations were installed across Lafourche Parish in Thibodaux, Raceland, Lockport, and Golden Meadow; and the Louisiana Workforce Commission was supervising the feedings conducted at state shelters.

Places to Donate

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