On August 27th, Hurricane Laura made landfall near the border of Louisiana and Texas as a category 4 storm. Just six weeks later, Hurricane Delta made landfall following a similar path as a category 2 storm. Our team has been in the field since September aiding in recovery efforts. Support for this project will help us continue serving impacted communities well into 2021.
Hurricane Laura brought catastrophic winds and rain. Though hurricane Delta was a weaker storm, it compounded this damage dropping up to 18" of rain in some areas. Much of the damage centers around Lake Charles, a region home to many refineries and chemical plants. This same region is home to some already economically fragile communities. With local resources already stretched due to the on-going COVID-19 crisis, we know that recovery from this disaster will be particularly challenging.
We have established a base of operations in DeQuincy, Louisiana, just northwest of Lake Charles. Our team is working to stabilize families impacted by both Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Delta by conducting a variety of response activities. With more than 15 years of effective disaster relief experience under our belt, we are well equipped to transition from serving immediate needs to a long-term hurricane repair program.
It's clear that addressing the housing repair needs will take months and maybe years. For this reason, we will be transitioning to making permanent, resilient hurricane repairs in December 2020, and hope to stay as long as we're needed into 2021. By staying with communities to serve their evolving needs along the continuum of the recovery process, we aim to minimize the trauma families experience, create efficiencies that shorten the overall timeline of recovery, and rekindle hope.
