Announcing first round of seven grants totaling more than $1.3 million to support Hurricane Ida recovery

Hurricane Ida was the largest and worst storm of 2021, causing billions of dollars worth of damage across the U.S. It came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, on Aug. 29. It slowed down and stalled over southern Louisiana, bringing flooding rainfall, heavy winds and high tides along the Gulf Coast. More than a million Louisiana customers lost power – some were without power for weeks. Then Hurricane Ida continued inland and across the country, eventually causing significant damage along the east coast.

In support of local community recovery from Hurricane Ida throughout Louisiana and New Jersey, we are pleased to announce the following grant awards funded through the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund:

Emergency Legal Responders – $100,000 to expand its capacity to provide disaster legal services and critical disaster resource information and guidance to those survivors in the most marginalized communities of Louisiana.

Jefferson Community Foundation – $165,975 to support their work as convener and agent of the Jefferson Parish Long-term Recovery Group (the LTRG). At the direction of the unmet needs committee of the LTRG, subgrants will be made to families affected by Hurricane Ida to support full and equitable recovery.

Lowlander Center in collaboration with the First People’s Conservation Council – $399,105 to implement the Community and Tribal-led Resilient Rebuild Program to ensure resilient recovery by integrating local expertise, best design practices, relevant tools, appropriate building materials with Western resilient experts supporting networks of the respective communities.

Mennonite Disaster Services – $175,000 to repair and reconstruct homes in Dulac, Louisiana, damaged by Hurricane Ida. MDS works with Mennonite volunteer groups to provide stable, resilient housing to the most under-resourced communities affected by disasters.

New Jersey Voluntary Agencies Active in Disaster (VOAD) – $200,000 to coordinate the long-term recovery process in the 11 N.J. counties affected by Hurricane Ida. As the lead disaster response and recovery member agency in New Jersey, NJVOAD is well-positioned to help educate, train and mentor the community leaders tasked with supporting community-level recovery.

United Way of South Louisiana – $135,000 to expand their capacity to support the long-term recovery of the communities they serve over the next two years. Hiring a long-term recovery project manager will coordinate and sustain the extended community recovery process for some of Louisiana’s most affected and most marginalized communities.

YMCA of Greater New Orleans – $150,000 to act as the convener and agent of the Committee for Plaquemines Recovery, the long-term recovery group that will address the unmet needs of marginalized populations in the communities of Plaquemines Parish because of devastation from the storm.

We continue to assess the needs of all the communities affected by Hurricane Ida and anticipate a second round of funding to support equitable recovery in the spring.