Resources for Families Impacted by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma

THANK YOU !

Hurricane Katrina truly was a life changing event for all of us. As we continue to recover from the storm, we will always remember the overwhelming support of

the staff members and students at the institutions who hosted our students during the 2005 fall semester. We would like to particularly recognize the support of the institutions within the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities ("AJCU"). We would also like to thank the staff in the main AJCU office in Washington, DC for their ongoing support of Loyola University New Orleans.
staff within the Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid and Office of Post-Secondary Education who continue to demonstrate their support for the students who attend the instituitions throughout this region.
We also want to thank Congress for passing three supplemental funding bills to continue the recovery effort. We want to specifically recognize the efforts of the entire Louisiana delegation, and Representatives David Obey, George Miller, Senators Harkin, Specter, Kennedy.
several outside organizations and individuals who provided additional scholarship aid to students who were impacted by the storm. We received significant support from the Clinton-Bush Foundation and the government of Qatar.
all of the volunteers who have contributed their time and resources to helping the citizens of New Orleans return home.

We know many of our families are still struggling to rebuild their homes and businesses. We will attempt to keep the information on this page updated. Please feel free to forward links to any other programs that may be helpful to our families.

Federal Resources

The Department of Education- this link has specific information for families impacted by the fall 2005 hurricanes.
A CAUTIONARY TALE Hurricane Repair Scams: Don't Get Taken by the "Big Fix"
The Internal Revenue Service
- Publication 525:Taxable and Non-Taxable Income- see page 20 for information on reporting funds received through the Road Home program
  - FAQ for Hurricane Victims - Grant Proceeds
  - Families whose 2007 tax returns include Road Home proceeds should contact their assigned financial aid counselor for further instructions.
- Tax Favored Treatment for Early Distributions from IRAs and other Retirement Plans for Victims of Hurricane Katrina
  - How to handle in the need analysis formulas (July 2007)
- Index of publications for impacted families (Publication 4492)
  - Education Credits
    - Form 8863
www.ready.gov - This site focuses on disaster preparedness for families and businesses.
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
FEMA

City Resources

NO LA Ready is an alert system that allows City Officials in New Orleans to contact you during an emergency by sending text messages to your:
- E-mail account (work, home, etc)
- Cell phone
- Pager, BlackBerry
City Assisted Evacuation Plan

State Resources

Louisiana Sales Tax Holiday for Hurricane Preparedness May 24 + 25, 2008
Believe in Louisiana is a newly organized reform minded group which is calling on every citizen of our great state to get involved
The Road Home
Information for TOPS Recipients
2008 Louisiana Directory Information
Another view of the contraflow evacuation maps

Outside Scholarships

Qatar-Katrina Scholarship Fund - Check with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid for more information about this Program .AT THIS TIME, ALL AVAILABLE FUNDS FOR THE 2007-2008 YEAR HAVE BEEN AWARDED. Students enrolled during the 2007-2008 academic year will have priority for funding for the 2008-2009 academic year.

2008 - 2009 RENEWAL Application - This form should be completed by students who received funding from the Qatar-Katrina fund during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Institutional Resources

Loyola University New Orleans Emergency Plan -please periodically review this information
University Ministry
Counseling and Career Services
The NOAH Project
Religious Responses to Katrina and Rita

Other Resources

While we hope that we will never have to repeat our experiences from the 2005 fall semester, the following links from the web sites of many neighborhood organizations may be useful to our off-campus students.

The Times-Picayune has published a comprehensive guide for area residents as we approach the 2008 hurricane season.

Many of the local television stations have dedicated pages on their web sites with emergency planning information for residents.

WWL-TV (CBS)
WDSU -TV (NBC)
WVUE-TV (FOX )

Tell your story! The Hurricane Digital Memory Bank welcomes contributions from survivors, first responders, relief workers, family, friends, and anyone impacted by the 2005 hurricanes.

Local Non-Profit Agencies / Community Groups

These agencies continue to provide assistance to families in the metropolitan New Orleans area

"It is one thing to celebrate when you have a house to go back to and dinner waiting, when your world is in place, and you can look back to years before, and ahead to years to come, with something like a reasonable expectation of continuity,

It is another thing to celebrate when you have lost everything - your house, your neighborhood, your possessions, your family members - and you are living in a strange place, cut off from everything familar to you, amid the continuity of other people's lives. To comport yourself with a defiant grace when your life has been pushed to the edge, and then over the edge".... taken from City of Refuge by Tom Piazza , page 382