Louisiana is known for many things, southern hospitality being one of the main ones. The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Alliance is a Louisiana based consortium. It is made up of private, corporate, and community foundations and donors. It was founded to help with the issues of disaster recovery. It was also founded to help the levels of vulnerability and risks of repeating events be reduced.
This “first-of-its-kind” partnership has taken a different approach. This public-private takes a step back and focuses on the way long-term solutions that will help re-establish communities that are resilient and sustainable to the area. The organization has been functioning for 12 years.
Over those years Louisiana’s communities have experienced events that have drastically impacted those communities. In the past, Louisiana’s philanthropic foundations were often split which made it harder for foundations to work together during tragic events. However, after the floods of 2016, foundations were more willing to work together to help the community get back on its’ feet. On their website the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Alliance says it “was created to support cross-sector collaborative efforts and communication, share knowledge and resources with the goal of improving recovery outcomes and increasing the resilience of Louisiana residents and communities.”
The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Alliance uses its platform to not only help but also educate people on the impacts of disasters in the state. Investing into communities and using resources from multiple sectors, the LDRA also helps its partners as well. Over 170,000 dollars worth of grants were awarded on October 20, 2017 to help communities in Louisiana.
The Board of the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Alliance is made up of:
- Lori Jill Bertman- Board President
- Flozell Daniels Jr.- Board Vice President
- Mark Stewart- Board Secretary and Treasurer
- Kristi Gustavson
- Michael Tipton
- Advisory Board
- Christy Wallace Slater
- Bob Ottenhoff
The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Alliance includes a section on their website including some of the Funders of the Alliance:
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Louisiana
- Community Foundation of North Louisiana
- Foundation for Louisiana
- Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation
- The UPS Foundation
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation
- Center for Disaster Philanthropy
Some of the partners that are agencies of the State of Louisiana include:
- Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness
- Working with other Partners, Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness has taken on some of the responsibility for protecting, assets, citizens, communities, and property if there were a disaster or emergency.
- Office of Community Development – Disaster Recovery Unit-This unit is located within the Division of Administrations Office of Community Development and has dedicated themselves to hurricane recovery. They also work closely with other partners to make sure Louisiana has a safe recovery.
- Department of Child and Family Services
- The Department of Child and Family Services mission is “working to keep children safe, helping individuals and families become self-sufficient, and providing safe refuge during disasters.”
- Louisiana Economic Development
- Some of the partners that are federal government agencies include:
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of Commerce
- Department of the Interior
- Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Environmental Protection Agency.
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