Hurricane Program
>Southeast MS Chapter
>Mississippi Gulf Coast Chapter
When the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes made landfall, the South Mississippi Red Cross responded immediately, mounting the largest disaster response in its 126-year history. The devastation was unlike anything the organization had seen before. The storms affected approximately 90,000 square miles. Thousands of South Mississippians turned to us for help. Utilizing hundreds of volunteers from across the country, we provided emergency assistance for more than 100,000 people, making sure they had a safe, dry place to go with their families, food to eat, and other essentials like medicines and clothing.
Our chapter of the American Red Cross continues to serve those affected by Hurricanes Katrina through its Hurricane Recovery Program (HRP). The HRP is focused on areas where the need for help is the greatest:
- Long-term recovery planning through case management;
- Emotional support, mental health counseling and grief management; and
- Vital information sharing and locating recovery resources.
Case managers utilize one-on-one interviews and needs assessments to help survivors develop a long-term recovery plan that will help them get back to a safe, stable, sustainable living situation. Where a case manager sees an unmet client need within the recovery plan, consideration may be granted to use resources from the Means to Recovery initiative. In addition, eligible survivors who need emotional support can enroll in the Emotional Support Program, which eliminates the financial barriers to obtaining appropriate mental health and substance abuse treatment. To access the emotional support benefit, survivors can contact us.
The American Red Cross is one of many partner community organizations that have gathered resources to help individuals and families with their disaster recovery. The Links section can direct you to some of these partner organizations and resources.
More than 90 percent of the resources donated to the American Red Cross by the American public for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma have already gone toward basic, life-sustaining needs like food, clothing and shelter right after the storm. The remaining funds continue to provide services through the Hurricane Recovery Program.
