Our Work / Archived Programs / Louisiana Hurricane Ida Relief
A group of smiling volunteers wearing purple All Hands and Hearts t-shirts pose together in front of a storm-damaged house.

Louisiana

Louisiana Hurricane Ida Relief

August 2021 – February 2023

AHAH responded to Hurricane Ida across Louisiana with long-term recovery support, including mold remediation, mucking and gutting, and repairs for impacted homes.

Disaster Profile

Hurricane Ida Brings Catastrophic Flooding and Destruction to Louisiana

Category 4 Hurricane Ida made landfall over the Port Fourchon community in Louisiana on August 29, 2021 – the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Wind speeds exceeding 150 mph were sustained for six hours, twice the duration of Hurricane Katrina’s 125 mph sustained winds. While the levee system that protects New Orleans held during the hurricane, multiple towns outside its protection saw catastrophic flooding and storm surges. Fallen trees and debris littered the streets across Ida’s path.

A volunteer wearing a purple “Disaster Response Volunteer” t-shirt and an orange hard hat works on a storm recovery project indoors, with plastic sheeting covering the floor.
21,260+ Volunteer Hours
270+ Volunteers
240+ Lives Impacted
163 Jobs Completed

Our Response

Rebuilding Homes and Restoring Hope After Hurricane Ida

In August 2021, we conducted traditional response work in and around Ponchatoula, Kenner and LaPlace, Louisiana. By the end of 2021, we had mucked and gutted 38 homes, completed 13 mold sanitation jobs and felled hazardous trees from 45 locations.

In 2022, we refocused our scope to recovery work, mainly conducting interior home rebuilds. This work included installing insulation, drywall, doors, flooring, trim, mudding, taping, and painting before handing the keys to homeowners. Our community-centered approach allowed our teams to identify needs beyond construction work. Volunteers and staff built local partnerships, supported food distributions and developed genuine connections with homeowners.

The program raised $2 million and generated over 20,000 volunteer hours, impacting over 200 lives and completing 163 jobs.

Two volunteers in safety gear use drills to attach drywall to a ceiling inside a storm-damaged house.
A smiling volunteer in a hard hat and gloves kneels inside a damaged home, pulling up old flooring.
Volunteers in purple All Hands and Hearts shirts unload supplies from a van and prepare buckets for disaster relief work.
A volunteer stands on a step stool applying joint compound to drywall seams in a hallway of a rebuilt home.

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