Salvation Army Announces $155 Million Katrina Recovery Plan
After collecting nearly the most monetary aid for Katrina relief and recovery efforts, The Salvation Army announced a $155 million long-term recovery plan for reconstruction in Louisiana and Mississippi.
After collecting nearly the most monetary aid for Katrina relief and recovery efforts, The Salvation Army announced Wednesday a $155 million long-term recovery plan for reconstruction in Louisiana and Mississippi.
The evangelical aid agency has signed agreements with Habitat for Humanity, Project Teamwork and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief among other organizations to execute the second phase of their $362 million recovery effort.
"Even as a new hurricane season approaches, we cannot forget those who are still suffering from the effect of last year's disaster," said Major Dalton Cunningham, The Salvation Army's Divisional Commander for the Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi Division, in a released statement.
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Nearly nine months have passed since Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and its tens of thousands of residents. Large disaster relief organizations, including the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board have nevertheless launched new projects and pushed for continual aid work as the affected areas still lay in rubble.
"This community rebuilding effort is too big for any one person or organization to undertake alone," said Cunningham. "By working together with other social aid organizations, we are able to maximize the dollars available and eliminate duplication of efforts. I want to thank all the donors from across the country who have made this possible."
The Salvation Army's newly announced recovery plan includes community assistance centers for emergency relief, volunteer villages to fund rebuild teams, homeownership grants to help survivors purchase homes, employment services to provide job training, and community capacity fund to cover unmet needs.
"In this second stage of recovery we have to help the neediest survivors return their lives to a basic level of normalcy," stressed Cunningham.
Assistance will be distributed to the neediest people in Louisiana and Mississippi.
According to The Salvation Army, 68 percent of the $142 million spent in the first stage of recovery has gone toward direct financial assistance to survivors. The other 32 percent was used for meals, cleaning and personal hygiene supplies. Up until April, more than 14 million meals and sandwiches and a quarter million food boxes have been served to assist nearly 1.6 million people in at least 30 states. The remaining amount received through public donations along with any new donations will be directed toward resettled survivors outside the immediate recovery zone.
The Army also emphatically noted its own continual operations stating, "The $362 million recovery plan works in tandem with the Army's previously existing presence, which is funded separately. While the Army incurred significant structural damage to its own operational facilities throughout the region, day-to-day work of the officers, staff and volunteers has continued, in addition to hurricane recovery. Recovery and repair to its facilities will be drawn from insurance coverage and its non-disaster budget."
To make a donation, visit www.salvationarmyusa.org.
