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Hurricane Laura update

By Together Rising | July 15, 2021

Remember when the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana’s shores in over 160 years ripped trees from the ground and roofs from homes last September? In response, Together Rising invested $70,000 in our long-time partner, All Hands and Hearts (AHAH), whose team was already on the ground providing relief to families. What follows is the story of the monumental impact that investment made and how all of us are still standing with the families affected by Hurricane Laura—nine months later—through an additional $102,000 investment in AHAH’s work.

After Hurricane Laura struck, AHAH immediately addressed families’ most urgent needs, distributing vital essentials including water, food, fuel and more. They then listened intently to community leaders, those most impacted, and fellow organizations to determine their most effective use. We quickly deployed $70,000 to enable their team to place temporary tarp roofs, remove damaged belongings, and remediate mold to salvage as many families’ homes as possible. 

With your investment, as well as others, AHAH has supported an outstanding number of families—146 in total. Specifically: 

  • 75 homes had downed trees chainsawed and removed
  • 38 were mucked and gutted
  • 27 received mold sanitation services
  • 50 roofs were tarped, 19 were repaired
  • And 4 ADA ramps were constructed

All of this impact—because all of us showed up. 

Photo credit: All Hands and Hearts. Image description: Six volunteers are standing next to each other on the ADA ramp they built. Each is wearing a dark purple shirt and a white hard hat. The person on the end on the right is holding a small, brown dog. A man wearing a tan hat and shirt is standing next to the volunteers. The ramp leads up to a house. The background is trees and greenery of a forest.

When we spoke with the AHAH team a few weeks ago, they shared that there are additional families they want to support. Specifically:

  • 8 homes are in progress and need to be finished
  • 14 require muck and guts
  • 9 require roof repairs
  • 18 have started the intake process for interior repairs
  • And at least 2 more families require ADA ramps

While AHAH had already raised 75% of the funds needed, they still had a gap of $102,000. All of us, through Together Rising, stepped into that gap and invested the remaining amount—enough to support all of these additional families.

We believe not only in responding immediately when natural disasters strike—but also in continuing to invest in recovery months after the news cycle has moved on. Thank you for continuing to stand with these families with us.

Posted in Blog Posts