SMHA Hurricane
Rural Recovery Blog
Ongoing news about SMHA's work to rebuild Louisiana better than before.Posted Sep 14, 2008 at 9:56 AM
Personal Reflections from the Field
[Soon after the passage of Hurricane Ike, SMHA Executive Director Lorna Bourg shared this personal reflection]It's Sunday night and I'm driving back from the all day assessment of Hurricane Ike's impact on rural communities: Delcambre, Erath, Pecan Island (where we cant yet go without boats), Cow Island and the Henry hub area roads blocked by water - accessible to noisy air boats - just a fraction of so much destroyed by Hurricane Ike.
It's dark now and my car lights reflect off tree limbs and trunks and large root balls stacked either side of the road and protruding into the road. All day we saw corridors of the brown decaying former lushness of Louisiana. The aftermath of Hurricane Gustav was met with families on higher ground moving remnants of downed trees to roadsides to be picked up by parish utility trucks and burned or landfilled later. The newer looking green on top is the result of today's industrious response to Hurricane Ike.
Once again dark green army trucks and young soldiers with rifles and camouflage, escort and block and point and haul to and from.
Coastal Louisiana's rural communities are under siege again. The coast comes closer to us every year, every storm. Only houses we and others built on stilts will survive. They must share their ground with occasional watery intrusions.
My beloved Louisiana is washing away.
-Lorna
Posted Apr 6, 2007 at 10:01 AM
New York Artist Brings Faces and Stories of Hurricane Rita to the Big Apple
A New York artist brought the images and stories of Hurricane Rita and Louisiana's "forgotten" rural families to New York City in February as part of a photography exhibit at the Kathryn Markel Fine Arts Gallery benefiting Southern Mutual's hurricane recovery and rebuilding efforts.Natalie Kaufman, a writer and photographer, came to Louisiana in December to volunteer as part of Southern Mutual's Rural Recovery Response. In the process she created a visual journal of her experiences in the field which included the photographs in the exhibit and a publication entitled "Hurricane Rita - The Forgotten People of Rural Louisiana."
Kudos to the artist and all the patrons who supported the project. Special thanks to Mary Jo Mullan of the Heron Foundation.
Natalie Kaufman focuses on the forgotten faces of Rita's destructive visit to Louisiana
Document:
Click here for a copy of the publication.
Posted Feb 13, 2007 at 5:24 AM
SMHA Purchases Property for Teche Ridge II
In January, Southern Mutual purchased another 62 acres of land which will be developed as Teche Ridge II. The property is across Emile Verret Road from the 35 acres purchased earlier that are being developed as Teche Ridge I, a unique mixed-income, mixed-use subdivision modeled on Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND) standards.The Teche II property was purchased from Roberta Voorhies who inherited the property from the four sisters and their aunt who had owned the property for years. Voorhies grew up in New Iberia and later moved to the New Orleans area.
Lorna Bourg said the Teche Ridge developments will increase the supply of much-needed housing in the area.
Local Initiatives Support Corporation provided acquisition financing for the Teche Ridge I and Teche Ridge II developments.
Roberta Voorhies (left), shown at the Teche Ridge II closing with Lorna Bourg, holds a picture of the five women who originally owned the property.
Posted Feb 12, 2007 at 10:26 AM
Community Foundation of Acadiana Gives SMHA Another Grant
The Community Foundation of Acadiana has given SMHA a $240,000 grant to help families in Cameron Parish and the Pecan Island area of Vermilion Parish rebuild and repair their homes."The grant is the latest among several grants Southern Mutual has received through the Community Foundation of Acadiana and reflects a continuing partnership between the two organizations," SMHA President Lorna Bourg said.
CFA's mission is "to provide leadership in facilitating the charitable and creative giving of its donors in an effort to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Louisiana."
Raymond Hebert, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Acadiana, gets an up-close look at SMHA volunteers working to rebuild homes in South Louisiana.
Posted Feb 12, 2007 at 10:01 AM
Louisiana Oil and Gas Association Grant Helping Rebuild Plaquemines Parish Community
Southern Mutual has received a $640,000 grant from the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association through a donor-advised fund in the Community Foundation of Acadiana.Don Briggs, president of LOGA, said the purpose of the grant is to help rebuild homes and businesses in the Plaquemines Parish community of Boothville which was devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He said this is part of the oil and gas industry's response to the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
SMHA President Lorna Bourg said Southern Mutual is using the grant to leverage volunteer labor, contributions and participation by other groups to maximize LOGA's investment in rebuilding Boothville. Among the organizations SMHA is working with on this project are Mennonite Disaster Services, Hands of Hope, the Committee for Plaquemines Recovery and others.
Don Briggs and his wife met with SMHA staff about the project. Front row, Lorna Bourg, Don & Nannette Briggs, Sr. Helen Vinton, Marva Porter; (2nd row) Gordon Reese III, Lurcy Marceaux.
Mary Tiser's home in Boothville is one of several being repaired through the generous grant given to SMHA by LOGA. SMHA's partner, Mennonite Disaster Services, is contributing the volunteer labor.
Posted Nov 3, 2006 at 8:53 AM
SMHA Gets $1 million Loan From MacArthur Foundation at 0% Interest
SMHA has received a $1 million loan for 10 years at 0% interest from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The funds will be used by Southern Mutual's lending arm, Southern Mutual Financial Services, as bridge capital to make loans which will subsequently be sold to IBERIABANK. IBERIABANK is currently committed to buying $10 million in loans from SMFS.The bridge capital from the MacArthur Foundation will greatly expand the capacity of SMFS to help families become first-time homeowners and to help those whose homes were destroyed by the hurricanes to rebuild, SMHA Executive Director Lorna Bourg said.
To see earlier, archived entries, click on title:
Lessons Learned From the Hurricane Recovery Front Lines
SMHA Publishes Predatory Lending Cartoon Book
A Behind-the-Scenes Look At Volunteering With SMHA's Rural Recovery Task Force
SMHA Film Featured At Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation Event
SMHA Launches Innovative Teche Ridge Development
SMHA Film Vividly Tells Hurricane Rita Story
Gaps and Opportunities
SMHA Receives Major Grants From Louisiana-Based Stuller
More Louisiana Support for SMHA's Rural Recovery Response
New York Times Best-Selling Author James Lee Burke Urges Contributions to Southern Mutual
SMHA Gives and Receives Award
Governor Signs Legislation Limiting SMHA's Liability
SMHA Loan Helps Put Shrimper Back in Business
Maine Volunteer Takes Louisiana's Story to Washington
SMHA Report Examines Impact of Hurricanes on Louisiana Food Systems
Bourg Proposes National Disaster Recovery Bonds
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