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Oct. 17, 2005
Baton Rouge & New Orleans, Louisiana
Katrina Advance Team
TOP is in the Field Again
The FHE-Trauma Outreach Program (TOP) is reaching out now in Louisiana to the Katrina/
Rita hurricane survivors, as we did in response to the December, 2004 tsunami in SE Asia.
We are rotating teams in weekly providing SE to hurricane survivors and short education
for community members for the next 2 months - perhaps longer, if we have the volunteers
and the funding.
The Advanced Team
Three of the TOP Committee members, Geneie Everett, Julia Gombos, and Laurie Leitch,
traveled to Baton Rouge to meet with our FHE-TOP field sponsor, the Catholic Charities
Archdioceses of New Orleans (CCANO). While Baton Rouge sustained only wind damage
during the hurricanes, the population doubled in size in 2 days as evacuees filled the city.
The roads are clogged with traffic, stores are having difficulty keeping shelves stocked and
there is a lack of housing for the tens of thousands who fled the coastal areas. The New
Orleans Catholic Charities was relocated to Baton Rouge and their central administrative
office is located in two trailers each of which is a beehive of activity.
As the Advance Team, our task was to clarify the various needs Catholic Charities wants us
to help with, get a feel for the post-hurricane context, to collect information to assist and
orient our teams that will begin coming in at the end of this month, strategize about housing
and transportation for our volunteers, and begin to create the relationships that will carry us
over the months to come.
What we saw and learned
In meetings with the Medical Director, CEO, President, Director of Community Centers,
and others we are told their highest priority is for TOP to work with their staff and family
members of staff to help relieve acute stress symptoms. Irritability, lack of concentration,
overwhelm, and overwork are taking a toll on these dedicated caregivers as they try to
meet the needs of evacuees like themselves. In the midst of their efforts to get their
services back up and running the staff also are dealing with the separation from their
families and loss of their own homes and all personal property, as they are cared for in
various houses that have been volunteered. Houses that are offered usually do not have
room for the whole family, so staff often may not see their spouses, partners, or children on
a daily basis. Many lost their cars as well as houses, and their workplaces are either too
mold-filled to be habitable or destroyed completely. When staff give us their business cards
they often say, “the address and phone numbers no longer exist.” Cell phone towers went
down in the hurricanes so service has been spotty. Most staff have cell phones as well as
satellite phones attached to their belts.
The second priority expressed by CC is community meetings to orient people about PTSD
and ways to help each other. The community meetings will include parish volunteers who
have taken evacuees into their homes, paraprofessionals, social workers, and other
interested community members. These meetings will be held close to affected areas so as
many can be reached as possible. Many areas in New Orleans are completely abandoned.
We also discussed offering TOP’s Trauma First Aide© (TFA) training course to staff
sometime in the future. It is a major goal of TOP to build the capacity of local service
providers to deliver trauma services. The TFA course will be well-suited to the CC staff and
there is the possibility of including other agencies as well. Catholic Charities does careful
intakes on clients and they seem reassured to know that we will evaluate all of our
services.
On Friday we toured two areas of New Orleans by the Director of Community Center who
took us through Ward 9 first, one of New Orleans’ most impoverished areas. No one lives
there now. There is no electricity or water and all of the houses have been badly damaged.
Every house has a spray painted numbers on it indicating the number of dead found in the
house, the status of animals found in the house, the date the house was searched and
other coded information. No house that we saw had been searched before 9/13/05…two
weeks after hurricane Katrina…and some were searched a week or more after that. We
stopped at one of the parish churches after seeing the priest collecting debris in the front
yard. We had to wear face masks to protect our lungs from the mold spores that fill the air.
Looking into the church briefly we saw that every room is coated in molds of several colors.
Mold also covers the water damaged pews which have been tumbled by the 8 foot water
into piles. Even through the masks the smell of mold was overwhelming.
The second area we toured, Lakeview, was a middle class area that has been equally
devastated. However, in contrast to Ward 9, Lakeview is a-buzz with activity. It appears
that some of the houses have electricity. These are people with insurance and income to
begin either demolition or repair. Signs cover the median strip announcing drywall removal,
mold removal, and repairs of all kinds. None of these signs are in ward 9 where few, if any,
have insurance or income for repairs and many are renters not owners of the houses. The
Catholic Charities Community Center in Ward 9 sustained so much damage that it will not
reopen.
What‘s next?
The plan is to send teams of 5-6 TOP volunteers into Louisiana (primarily Baton Rouge)
beginning October 29 and through mid-December. At that time, we will see what needs
remain and together plan a second phase that could include the TFA course. Team
members will come in for 1-2 weeks at a time. This is a volunteer effort and we hope many
SE practitioners will volunteer to participate.
Please volunteer
Throughout our two days on site we were consistently impressed with the warmth and
gratitude expressed by the CC staff. When they have been so busy giving to others the
prospect of being receiving some help for them seems to bring relief. We hear many
stories about FEMA, the Red Cross, and dealing with insurance agencies that indicate vast
holes in the safety net. Even the most well-meaning efforts cannot completely address the
scale of this catastrophe. Much help is needed now and will be needed for a long time to
come. It is good to know that FHE-TOP will be able to play a part in addressing the needs
of the hurricane survivors.
Please consider volunteering to share your skills in a disaster setting. This is a
wonderful opportunity for us to come together as a healing community in a time of
great need! If you are interested in volunteering for TOP and have not filled out an
application, please send your request by email to TOP@traumahealing.com.
What else you can do to help
In order to meet the needs to respond to this situation, we are also asking for your
assistance in the following ways:
- Spread the word: Please send this letter to your friends and family to tell
them what your organization is doing for others and refer them to our
website @ www.traumahealing.com - and click on ‘TOP.
- Monetary assistance: Make donations directly to the FHE and specify ‘TOP’.
To make your TOP donation on-line, go to www.traumahealing.com or mail
your contribution to FHE-TOP, 7102 La Vista Place, Suite 200, Niwot, CO
80503.
- Direct Communication: For all questions and inquires regarding the Trauma
Outreach Program, email directly to TOP@traumahealing.com and please
do not call the FHE office.
We will keep you updated about our efforts by email or you can also check the
www.traumahealing.com website for up-to-date information.
Thank you for interest and support!
TOP Committee
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katrina/rita
