How Hurricane Katrina replaced non -profit disaster relief after 20 years

As the Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast in 2005, it re -shaped the way of giving disaster relief to non -profit organizations, focusing on recovering the “whole community”.

Emergency Disaster Services Director Jeff Jaillets, for the Southern region of the Salavation Army, said, “I think one thing about long -term recovery is that you do not make back only the same way, but you make back smart and strong.”

When Jaillets first arrived at New Orleans, they saw piles of debris on the streets. The beach was empty. There is not even the foundation of beautiful houses that once stood with the coastline, they were spared. All the remaining evidence of life was taken away from pieces and taken to the sea.

During the first few hours, he and his team were somewhat quiet. “We’re going to recover,” Jelets thought himself, but Katrina would essentially become, this demon did not predict this.

“Then Lewais clearly violated, and at the point, which was already a significant destruction, just too much, very bad,” he said.

On this day in history, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast, causing large -scale damage

At that time, the Salvation Army, whose only purpose is to protect those who have no way, have become a victim of storm, losing facilities in Paskagaula, Gulfport and Biloxy, Mississippi. But it did not stop his efforts. As Salvation Army report In 2005, the organization served over 4.7 million hot food and 6.8 million sandwiches, snacks and drinks. He also gave emotional and spiritual support to about 103,000 people.

Now, 20 years later, Jelets reflected on reforms that the Salvation Army has implemented the post-category, and how the storm demonstrated the important need to include non-profit institutions and community organizations in recovery efforts.

Gellets underlined three major operating changes. The Salvation Army implemented post-category: expanding feeding capabilities, extending pre-stocking and communication technology of supply.

“We really expanded our mass feeding footprints,” he said. “We converted the design of a lot of our vehicles into a more pickup truck-style, which is slightly less profile, more durable and can be found in some of those disaster areas.”

Leading for Katrina, gellets say that a lot of response was on-demand, detection of supply as needs. To compete this, now he has a warehouse of about 300,000 square feet dedicated to disaster use. The shelves are rolled with supply.

He said, “In our warehouses before this storm season, we have found shelf-siege food, we have cleanup kits, tarps, baby supply kits, and so we can access those important supply very fast,” he said.

After the storm, one of the biggest challenges he worked to work was, the survivors’ ability to communicate.

“This was a certain challenge in Katrina very quickly,” he said. “We questioned a lot of health and welfare through amateur radio.”

Since then, the Salvation Army has used modern-day technologies for disaster relief.

“Our latest communication piece is to use satellite internet at the top of our feeding units,” he said. “So now that you come to the disaster field, if you turn on that satellite vision, get a clear view of the sky, not only we can talk to each other, but we can really let the remaining people to connect our phone to the Internet and then tell your families, ‘Hey, we are fine.”

It is not only about adopting new techniques. Katrina led an important idea: the notion of a “entire community approach”. These values, response efforts were already carried forward before and beyond the storm in a community, strengthening the community and building flexibility. The coordination of non -profit institutions like the Salvation Army plays a huge role, as they were there before the disaster.

Swayamsevak Hurricane Help Helon Help Northern Carolina houses rebuilding houses

“The Salvation Army has not left New Orleans,” said Meghan Fole, the national director of the Emergency Services of the Salvation Army. “We are there for the long -term recovery that continues after two decades, and we are continuing that community flexibility after day.

Foli says he feels that they interact with each family, a step towards creating community flexibility in preparation for the next disaster. For him, if another family is set with resources, it is another family that may quickly recover and carry itself through a possible disaster.

“You have received expectations to manage,” the gellets said. “It takes time to join, a 10 -year plan where they not only rebuild houses, but also learn the importance of reconstruction of complex connections that create a community.”

“It showed that we could not only get recovery about reconstruction of structures, it should also be about life and reconstruction of communities,” Foli said.

After the destruction of the biloxy facility, the Salvation Army knew that it did not have time to rebuild, so it continued to operate with a large tent, including a field kitchen to provide food. Gellets emphasize that in cases like these, adaptability is important.

Today, a new KRoc center stands on the site, in which a pool, entertainment center and generator funded through a state’s dangerous mitigation grant, allowing it to be a disaster relief shelter if required.

“I think back, I think, one of the identity of a good recovery piece is,” the gellets said.

Since the Salvation Army operates in almost every zip code in the United States, they realize that each community is different, and the recovery process is not similar to a cookie-cotter model.

“If you are tied in the clothes of that community and understand what the economic and cultural nuances are, what are the priorities you have in the context of reconstruction and then there are too much in the context of regular reconstruction,” Jelets said.

Click here to get Fox News app

Jaillets told Fox News Digital that what they have developed over time is their goal, not only to help them through immediate storm but also to provide other underlying social service issues.

The New Orleans Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center was heavy damaged. For Foli and Gellets, part of long -term recovery is providing people with equipment that they need to survive not only, but also to live.

Working on these issues allows the Salvation Army and other non -profit institutions not to correct immediate requirements, but the needs of important social service that can be extended from disasters.

In another example, Gellets recalled an elderly woman, who she helped by re -organizing her home in the early days of Katrina. Jaillets, happy that he felt that his work had been done, asked the woman how he felt.

“If you can change something, what would you like to change? And he said,” I really want me to have neighbors. “

Most of the young professionals went with their families. He had very little conversation with someone. To see that the woman was harassed even after having a new house. A house can only achieve you till now, which makes it realize the value of community solidarity.

“You have to help the community,” he said. “We have seen the reactions since then, Hurricane Ian, or still, what we are doing with Helen is trying to be inclusive and trying to bring back the community as a whole. Because if you don’t, it doesn’t turn.”