Seeking Shelter:
Homelessness During Hurricane Season
The 2020 hurricane season has been one of the most active on record. Already, 23 tropical cyclones have been named in the Atlantic, and 9 have made landfall. Each time a storm begins brewing in the Gulf, coastal residents swing into action, fortifying their homes, restocking their emergency supplies, and in some cases, evacuating to wait out the weather. But what happens to people experiencing homelessness during a major storm event?
At the HTC, we recognize that our guests don’t always have access to media channels that could inform them about impending weather events. As part of our practice, we strive to keep our guests updated about approaching storm systems and where they can go to seek shelter. Still, the need to direct unsheltered individuals to safety during tropical storms and hurricanes requires large-scale effort teamwork between several partnering organizations. Shalini Persaud, Volunteer Coordinator at NOLA Ready, explains what steps the Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness and the City of New Orleans take to protect the safety of unsheltered residents.
During hurricane season, the New Orleans Health Department (NOHD) coordinates outreach teams from community-based organizations that specialize in working with homeless individuals. These teams are tasked with locating people without shelter and letting them know that a storm is coming and what their options are for shelter.
“The goal is to get residents inside, first to shelters run by homeless service providers,” such as the Mission, Ozanam Inn, and Low Barrier. “Then, if all the available beds are filled, homeless individuals and people with special medical needs are directed to City-run shelters, which are on standby during every major storm event,” Shalini elaborates.
When hurricanes become so severe that a mandatory evacuation is ordered, the New Orleans City-Assisted Evacuation (CAE) Program provides free transportation out of the city for the 35,000+ residents who are unable to evacuate on their own. In the days leading up to landfall, NOHD launches outreach teams to inform the homeless community of their evacuation options and how to use CAE.
The CAE Program asks individuals to report to one of 17 “Evacuspots” where residents are registered, picked up, and shuttled to the Smoothie King Center to await bussing to safer places. When the storm has subsided, CAE brings residents back to New Orleans.
There are 17 evacuspots around New Orleans where people can report in the event of a tropical weather system to receive help from the City-Assisted Evacuation Program.
Many HTC guests are longtime residents of New Orleans and have survived multiple hurricane seasons. When asked about their experiences with hurricanes and evacuations, almost everyone had a Katrina story. In fact, Hurricane Katrina directly contributed to cycles of homelessness for a few of our guests who were never quite able to recover financially or emotionally from the loss of their homes and family members.
Ty*, a current guest, lost his home during Katrina. He ended up on a bus to Texas and found his way to Hattiesburg, Mississippi where he spent the next six months taking care of his disabled father. That set him on a different path and when he finally returned to New Orleans, he wasn’t able to afford a home, didn’t get a FEMA check, and began staying at Ozanam Inn. He’s been in and out of temporary housing ever since. Ty has participated in the CAE Program during other mandatory evacuations and says that the service does a good job. “They set up shuttles for you, feed you and get you set up at a hotel and really take care of you until it’s safe to come back. I appreciate them looking out for us homeless folks.”
Another guest, JJ*, lost his uncle during Katrina and warns anyone without shelter to leave the city however they can during a hurricane. He wasn’t familiar with the city’s efforts to get people to shelter until he came to HTC ahead of Hurricane Laura and was able to shelter in place down the street at the Mission. JJ is working HTC partner agency, Lantern Light, to get his ID so that he can secure work on the cleanup efforts in Lake Charles. “It’s gonna work out. I know it will because it’s in God’s hands and God knows my heart. He knows I want to make a difference.”
With over a month to go in the most prolific hurricane season to date, we are crossing our fingers that the Gulf Coast remains safe and remain thankful for the heroic efforts of NOLA Ready, NOHD, the City of New Orleans, and our other community partners.
Learn more about NOLA Ready's plan for emergencies.
*Names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of our guests.