“ The best news from here is that we heard yesterday from our last two lost SCSEP participants and they are well. Communications networks were flattened in the rural parishes north of New Orleans, but our workers were not injured. Hooray! Almost every home and host agency was damaged, but we’ll carry on!” rejoiced Todd Hamilton, Director, Adult Services, Catholic Community Services in Baton Rouge—33 days after Hurricane Katrina hit.

Evacuees in line at Catholic Community Services, Baton Rouge, LA

For Cynthia Phipps, Senior Employment Specialist with the Jefferson Council on Aging in Metairie, LA there was good news/bad news. “We’re responsible for 35 SCSEP slots in 3 parishes—Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines and we’ve located all 24 of our participants in Jefferson,” Phipps said. Thirteen of those 24 participants are working side by side with FEMA and American Red Cross staff on hurricane recovery efforts. However, as this profile was written, Phipps had still been unsuccessful in contacting 11 participants in St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes.

“Our SCSEP participants are in Washington, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes (LA) – all in Katrina’s path,” said Claude Waite, Senior Employment Counselor, Catholic Community Services. “Whatever it took, our team accounted for each and every one of them! We were able to reach many by telephone. In some instances, after the storm subsided, team members had to go out by car in hazardous road conditions to find them.” This area was hit with structural damage to homes; flooded host agency sites; and relocated evacuees. But now, two of their participants are “giving back” to the community at hurricane relief agency training sites – the American Red Cross and United Way.

“When you’re facing 30 foot storm surges and 150 mile per hour winds, there’s not much left standing,” recalled Dr. Marion Tutor, Director, Mississippi Department of Human Services, Division of Aging and Adult Services. Three coastal “retirement” counties, home to over 55,000 persons over the age of 60, —Hancock, Harrison and Jackson—took the brunt of the storm. Nearly all of the coastal counties’ elderly residents were adversely affected – regardless of income levels. “So, while we were charged with locating our SCSEP client base, we also volunteered to help track the general elderly population,” Tutor related. “Joining forces with other local and state agencies, a Rapid Needs Assessment Project was developed. Volunteers went door-to-door, neighbor-to-neighbor in a collaborative effort to help seniors from all walks of life get back on their feet after the disaster.”

Thanks to the efforts of Roger Scott, AARP’s Project Director for Orleans Parish, LA, the hardest hit area in New Orleans, 43 of the 95 participants have been accounted for, 14 of whom have been placed in AARP projects in other locations. “Scott has been tireless in his efforts to find, help and resettle our participants,” said Jim Seith, National Director of the AARP Foundation. “He sent out two separate letters to each individual, tried to establish telephone contact, and when feasible, went by car or on foot to knock on doors. Even though AARP’s local office in the heart of Canal Street remains closed, Scott diligently checks it once a day for any additional participant leads.” Although the remaining 53 participants have not been reached and have been officially separated from the program, they will still be accommodated should they be located.

Because none of the local Louisiana and Mississippi projects operated by Experience Works (EW) were severely affected by Katrina, they were able to provide support to fellow SCSEP grantees that were affected. In Louisiana, EW offered AARP and the Associacion Nactional Pro Personas Mayores (ANPPM) New Orleans based projects the opportunity to temporarily relocate at their local project office that was unaffected by the hurricane. EW’s Killeen, TX staff member Mae Lane coordinated assistance for evacuees from Louisiana and Mississippi - arranged rental housing and coordinated reimbursement of the rent under the auspices of FEMA.

For additional hurricane relief information:
Hurricane Recovery Job Connections
    - www.jobsearch.org/hurricanejobs
    - www.servicelocator.org/HurricaneServices
    - www.Hurricane-Coach.org
    - www.ajb.org

Louisiana Senior Relief Fund established by the Governor’s Office on Aging is designed to help seniors age 60 or over affected by the hurricane. Qualified SCSEP participants are eligible to apply for this assistance. For more information, contact Rosemary Davis at (225) 342-7030.