SMHA Hurricane
Rural Recovery Blog
Ongoing news about SMHA's work to rebuild Louisiana better than before.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.
Posted Oct 30, 2006 at 6:48 AM
Lessons Learned From the Hurricane Recovery Front Lines
At the invitation of the Melville Charitable Trust, Lorna Bourg was the featured speaker at the Lyceum in Hartford, Connecticut, on October 3, where she discussed "Lessons from the Front Lines of Hurricane Recovery: Harnessing Entrepreneurship to Build Communities."Bourg's presentation was the final event in the 2006 series on "Inventive Views: New Ideas and Solutions to Old Problems" sponsored by The Partnership for Strong Communities and Connecticut Voices for Children.
Bourg shared the following lessons learned and/or reaffirmed based on SMHA's on-going work in the field following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita:
- Learn from the poor. (SMHA created a new disaster recovery model which features listening to those in need and gathering information from those knowledgeable about the impacted communities rather than establishing bureaucratic eligibility requirements and endless paperwork.)
- Use an entrepreneurial and self-help approach.
- Institute a strong accountability component that uses data for documentation and decision making and mapping for strategic impact.
- Cultivate strong Community Development Corporations who can hit the ground running when disaster strikes. (Government provided too little, too late. CDC's should be recognized and supported as part of our national security response.)
- Insure that CDC's emerge stronger from it all.
- Don't overload organizations providing assistance and support with too many new staff members. (When the emergency is gone, they'll face a budget dilemma.)
- Broaden the concept of philanthropy to include CDC's. (Just as we need great centers of learning and art, we need strong CDC's.)
- Don't over plan. (The river runs fast, and the needs are immediate. "Plan on the move," and figure it out as you go. Establish an intellectual framework and attract great talent by hiring strategically, partnering wisely and contracting for pieces that need to be done.)
Bob Holder, operating office of the Melville Charitable Trust and senior fellow to The Philanthropic Initiative, and Lorna Bourg
To see earlier, archived entries, click on title:
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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