General

Emergency Communities is a new, grassroots approach to disaster relief. Formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, EC brought together passionate young volunteers who could not find a place to contribute with more institutionalized relief efforts like Red Cross and FEMA. Since then, EC has grown into a mature, important force in responding to major disasters. Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in American history. ... The Anarchist Black Cross was originally called the Anarchist Red Cross. The band Redd Kross was originally called Red Cross. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... New FEMA seal The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is an agency of the United States government dedicated to swift response in the event of disasters, both natural and man-made. ...

History

Emergency Communities was founded in November 2005 and received 501(c)3 status through a fiscal sponsor, the International Humanities Center. Many key volunteers met at the New Waveland Cafe in Waveland, Mississippi, which began serving hot meals just days after Hurricane Katrina. EC opened the Made with Love Café and Grill in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana on December 12, 2005, with plans to remain until June. After visiting the kitchen in St. Bernard Parish, the government of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana invited EC to open a second kitchen two hours to the south. ... Location Location of St. ... Plaquemines Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ...

Populations Served

St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (SBP) Location Location of St. ...

SBP was home to more than 65,000 residents before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita—only about 10,000 have returned. SBP is made up of eleven smaller communities, all working-class suburbs of New Orleans. Per capita income before the storm was $16,718. New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ...

The eye of Katrina passed over the eastern part of SBP. A twenty-five foot storm surge overwhelmed levees and flooded the entire parish with five to twelve feet of standing water over a period of about fifteen minutes. The Murphy Oil Refinery spilled 819,000 gallons of oil across the residential community of Chalmette. Two houses in the parish were undamaged. Murphy Oil Corporation is a petroleum corporation, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. ... The unincorporated community of Chalmette is the parish seat of St. ...

Many returning residents live in a tent city in Chalmette. Others live in travel trailers or in their own damaged homes and apartments. SBP has no community center—the Made with Love Café and Grill currently fills that gap. It also provides a comfortable space where residents can find logistical, emotional, and nutritional support as they struggle to rebuild their lives. The SBP physical environment is pyschologically draining—collapsing houses, oily fields, debris on every lawn. Emergency Communities offers a clean, positive, colorful atmosphere. Recent programming, including bingo nights, has focused on the elderly. Their senior center was destroyed in the flooding.

Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana (PP) Plaquemines Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ...

PP follows the Mississippi River south from New Orleans to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico. Pre-storm per capita income was $15,937. Our kitchen, located in Buras, Louisiana will serve the remote eastern and southern regions of PP, which had a pre-storm population of 16,000. Only 1,000 have returned permanently to this area, which before the storms served the off-shore oil industry. This article is about the river in the United States. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... Buras-Triumph is a census-designated place located in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. ...

Katrina’s eye first made landfall in Buras on August 29, commencing the worst natural disaster in modern U.S. history. PP suffered 125 mph winds, at least a twenty foot storm surge, and twenty-seven levee breaks. Hurricane Rita topped the levees again, and by early October 30% of PP remained under water. Buras, Port Sulphur, Empire, and Pointe a la Hache were all virtually demolished. Eight different oil spills dumped 6.49 million gallons of oil on the parish, including 983,000 gallons in Buras.

Southern PP has only one grocery store, operating out of a trailer in Port Sulphur. The Red Cross distributes some meals but will leave by April. The rebuilding of towns along the west bank of the Mississippi has not begun by any measure. For residents to safely reinhabit and rebuild this remote area, they need support and a reliable food source. Southern and eastern PP also lack any communal space. Returning families live in intense isolation in a milieu of total destruction. The Anarchist Black Cross was originally called the Anarchist Red Cross. The band Redd Kross was originally called Red Cross. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Emergency Communities Programs

Activities

EC serves the community through many avenues. First and foremost is meal service—three hot, fresh meals each day at each kitchen. Residents can also receive first aid and herbal medical care, as well as use free internet and long distance. The Made with Love Cafe offers live musical performers at about one meal each day and hosts a few after-meal events each week, ranging from bingo to televised sport events. Beyond serving meals, EC empowers and rebuild the more ephemeral community ties destroyed by the hurricane.

Volunteer Recruitment and Management

At any given time, approximately 80-150 volunteers carry out all vital functions. Volunteers make an average of a two-week commitment to the project. They are initially allowed to find the area of operation where they feel most comfortable, then actively integrated into that area with concrete tasks and responsibilities. At a bi-weekly general meeting, volunteers can meet each other and propose new projects. Members of the community are encouraged to attend all our meetings.

Relationship to Other Relief Efforts

Emergency Communities has contact with nearly every relief program active on the Gulf Coast. They distribute for Red Cross, FEMA, UMCOR, and Catholic Charities, and often feeds volunteers from other grassroots organizations. EC has positive relationships with both the St. Bernard Parish government and the Plaquemines Parish goverment. Executive Director Mark Weiner sits on the St Bernard Parish Unmet Needs Committee (SBUNC). The United Way recently partnered with Emergency Communities. The Anarchist Black Cross was originally called the Anarchist Red Cross. The band Redd Kross was originally called Red Cross. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... New FEMA seal The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is an agency of the United States government dedicated to swift response in the event of disasters, both natural and man-made. ... The United Methodist Committee on Relief, often referred to as UMCOR, is one of the most prominent emergency relief agencies in the world. ... The United Way of America is a coalition of charitable organizations that has traditionally pooled efforts in fund raising. ...

Disengagement Strategy

When EC leaves SBP in June, it will leave behind a functional community center run by the same residents who eat at the kitchen every day. EC is currently providing logistical support for the founding of this center. EC will also leave SBP with $1.02 million dollars in offset debt reduction for its FEMA bill, due to accumulated volunteer hours.

Emergency Communities has filled an important gap in disaster relief on the Gulf Coast. If or when a disaster strikes another American city, Emergency Communities is sure to be there, helping to lead the relief effort with a proactive, grassroots, community-oriented approach.