The Fight for Katrina Victims

Although it hit more than eight months ago, Hurricane Katrina’s devastation still dominates millions of lives in Gulf Coast states.  And we’re still heavily involved -- side by side with the victims.  

Virtually all of our Affiliates have established programs to help, and so far the Urban League has touched more than 16,500 of the victims -- like Carmen Melendez and her six children.
           
They’d only lived in New Orleans for about six months when the storm hit.  They lost everything, and spent the next six months without a home.
           
But tonight, this family of seven sleeps in a warm townhouse with hot running water -- thanks to an Urban League program that maximized partnerships between government agencies (like HUD), numerous churches and other community groups, and businesses.
           
“I thank God for people like these,” Carmen said through her tears, “helping us get back on our feet.”
           
League Affiliates played a key role, too -- Affiliates far from the storm.  The program that helped Carmen’s family is the “Village of Caring,” set up by the Greater Washington Urban League in the suburbs of the nation’s capital.  She and her kids -- ages 6 to 17 -- bounced around from Texas to Wisconsin to Washington, where we’re now helping her find a new job as a home health care assistant.
           
“Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are out of the headlines,” says Affiliate President and CEO, Maudine R. Cooper, “but these are critical times for families and people hurt by the storms. Their funds for temporary housing and emergency assistance are running out.”

Fortunately, we have generous friends who make possible all we do.  That’s how the Urban League can remain hard at work, forming coalitions and reminding everyone that these needs do continue . . . so families like Carmen’s can get their lives back.

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