LSU AgCenter’s Hurricane Katrina Disaster Recovery, Education and Outreach Strategic Plan Agriculture and Forestry Damage Estimates Forestry Sugarcane Cotton $610,821,639 $191,681,159 $10,400,000 Rice Dairy Vegetables $483,900 $1,046,398 $2,570,910 Wholesale Nurseries Citrus Cattle Hunting Leases $19,018,350 $10,780,800 $11,199,906 $3,829,657 Charter Fishing $20,391,750 Fisheries Damage Estimates Turtles $5,355,000.00 Alligators Oysters Menhaden Shrimp $3,797,090.51 $25,163,024.86 $17,208,447.20 $72,115,066.55 Commercial Finfish Crabs $12,552,495.85 $15,150,697.90 Total Fisheries $151,341,822 Total Preliminary Estimates of Losses for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries $1,033,566,289 How can Extension help? • Prior Planning • Immediate Disaster Response • Long-Term Planning • • • • • • • • • • LSU AgCenter Priorities AgCenter programs back in place statewide We must go into affected areas as soon as we are allowed We must immediately begin education and outreach efforts to assist in recovery Parish Chairs to establish contact immediately with local government organizations such as: police jury, school board, district attorney, and parish president Parish Chairs meet with parish president so agents can go back in early in affected areas when evacuees are moving back home 4-H agents should contact school superintendent’s immediately to alert them of AgCenter disaster recovery youth development programs AgCenter faculty from each parish should setup face to face meetings with local legislators to make them aware of AgCenter strategic plan Pair up agents in affected areas with mentor agents to assist in contacting local government and fulfilling recovery responsibilities, if needed Allow agents from other parishes to come in and relieve affected agents that have to take care of their own recovery Leadership training for agents willing to assist in AgCenter disaster recovery efforts LSU AgCenter Immediate Steps: • Disaster Recovery – Frankie Gould • Family Financial Management – Jeanette Tucker • LaHouse and Rebuild Stronger, Safer, Smarter Initiative – Claudette Reichel • Youth Development - Mark Tassin • Farm Financial Management – Kurt Guidry • Veterinary Response Program – Christine Navarre • Dairy Recovery – Gary Hay • Forestry Recovery – Rich Vlosky • Fisheries Recovery – Mike Liffman Disaster Recovery • A series of 20 radio PSAs have been developed and distributed to radio stations across Louisiana and posted to the web • A series of faculty have been identified to conduct radio interviews that range from finances and stress to mold and rebuilding homes with the displaced New Orleans radio stations such as WWL • A new section was added to the news web site called storm and flood news. There are currently 27 news stories related to disaster recovery and new stories are added daily. These news stories will also be repurposed into a disaster recovery inserts to be distributed to the major newspapers in the state. • 100,000 copies of Disaster Recovery Series and Cleaning Flood-damaged Homes will be printed and distributed to shelter volunteers, agents, and affected citizens. • An AgCenter Disaster Recovery toll free hotline is being developed to address disaster recovery issues and concerns Disaster Recovery Series The Disaster recovery series combines 25 fact sheets into one publication that has six chapters. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. They are: Be Safe: Stay Healthy after a Disaster Surviving and Recovering from a Power Outage Restoring Storm-damaged Buildings Salvaging Water-damaged Belongings Lawn and Garden Losses Financial Recovery and Risk Management Disaster Recovery • A disaster recovery Web portal is in place. http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/family_home/hazards_and_threats/recovery_assistance Family Financial Management • To assist affected residents in rebuilding their lives, the AgCenter is delivering programs to educate and empower citizens to identify and manage available financial, community and personal resources. • Workshops are being conducted to educate citizens to: • Create and follow budgets • Use credit and financial institutions/products wisely • Make wise decisions • Set goals • Protect their identity • Improve employment skills • Initial delivery will be targeted to residents of shelters, particularly limited resource families and those who receive public assistance. • The secondary audience will include the working poor and families who are now receiving public assistance as a result of the impact of Hurricane Katrina. LaHouse and Rebuild Stronger, Safer, Smarter Initiative 1. Home Restoration information dissemination: – via CMS (family and home), media outreach and publications: – Storm Recovery Guide for Homeowners -- newly updated, combines Natural Hazard Series into one comprehensive publication – Cleaning Flood Damage Homes - brief 2. Rebuild Stronger, Safer, Smarter Initiative -- to create more hazardresistant and energy efficient homes that will help Katrina victims take control of their future by the quality of housing they return to. – Facilitate and participate in interagency rebuilding task force – Collaborate with top building scientists in nation to develop guidance and training curricula – Conduct consumer educational campaign with LaHouse – Work with national and regional organizations to provide training for home builders, designers, inspectors and affordable housing developers – Establish LaHouse as regional educational attraction, training center and information clearinghouse Youth Development • The 4-H program can offer an opportunity for youth to reconnect to family and a new community in these settings. The program will be implemented based on a needs assessment from shelter managers. • Programs will be delivered in shelters in group settings in a hands-on experiential format. Evacuees in the schools will be included in the regular delivery of 4-H in school clubs, school enrichment, and after-school programming. • 4-H activities, lessons, games, and events to include focus on: – Character education (conflict resolution) – Team building – Leadership development – Healthy lifestyles (stress management and fitness/nutrition) – Homework and tutoring assistance. Youth Development • The programs will be made available to children kindergarten through 12th grade, youth enrolled in new schools, youth in shelters, shelter volunteers, 4-H volunteers, volunteer agency personnel, 4-H teen leaders and 4-H agents. • Our faculty have been in contact with shelters to determine the number of evacuees in shelter locations and the anticipated stay of evacuees. • Parish staff will contact parish shelter organizations to determine numbers of pre-K to 12th grade youth and identify their needs. • 4-H agents will be instructed to contact the school superintendent’s to alert schools of the AgCenter’s youth development programs. Farm Financial Management • The areas affected the greatest by Hurricane Katrina represent a large portion of Louisiana’s fisheries, dairy, sugarcane, forestry, wildlife, vegetable, nursery, and citrus industries. • Shortly after the storm, the LSU AgCenter began to develop assessments of the potential damage caused to the agricultural, fisheries, and forestry industries in the state. • The AgCenter will be offering farm financial workshops to assist agricultural producers in gathering information on government assistance programs, recovery of operations, marketing, stress management and other topics. – These workshops will include discussions from the LSU AgCenter, USDA – Farm Service Agency, USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Bureau and other agencies. – Producers will have the opportunity to identify concerns and ask questions on issues specific to their situations. Veterinary Response Program • • • Animal disposal and disease will be major challenges in the immediate term for agriculture producers. Immediate steps that will be taken by the Extension Veterinary Program include: – Continuing communications with State Veterinarians Office, College of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association, and private practitioners and respond to needs as appropriate. – Placing information on AgCenter website about potential disease problems following wind and flood damage. – Sending information veterinarians about potential disease problems following wind and flood damage. – Assisting with plans for proper animal carcass disposal. In the intermediate term the Extension Veterinary Program plans to: – Respond to developing animal disease problems in affected areas. – Continue to inform the veterinarians and the public of developing animal diseases due to the hurricane. Dairy Recovery • The AgCenter estimates over $1 million in income losses in the Louisiana dairy industry. – Much of this loss is the result of the loss of milk that producers were forced to dump week because they were without enough electric power to operate their coolers. – The immediate concern is for the infrastructure – physical damage to facilities and no electricity for milking the cows and cooling milk. • AgCenter specialists and agents formed the Dairy Recovery Team and have been working diligently to look for power supplies for dairy operations. • Information on animal health and waste management will be available to affected producers. • Financial workshops will also be conducted to assist dairy producers in gathering information on government assistance programs, recovery of operations, marketing, stress management and other topics. Forestry Recovery • • The AgCenter currently estimates $611 million in economic losses in the Louisiana forestry sector due to a loss in stumpage (1.4 billion board feet of pine and 1.1 billion board feet of hardwoods). Given an economic multiplier of 3.8 for this sector, total economic losses can well be over $2 Billion. In the near-term, the AgCenter is deeply involved in forest recovery efforts through participation with the Louisiana Forest Restoration Task Force headed by the Louisiana Forestry Association and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. – The mission of the task force is to facilitate salvage efforts to maximize the recovery of timber damaged by the hurricane and to begin the process of renewing the forest. Also represented on the Task Force are timber companies, loggers, LA Logging Council, DOTD, consulting foresters, USFS, NRCS, FSA, and MS State logging specialists. – The AgCenter has representatives on the following committees: logging, wood utilization, communications, forest health and regeneration, governmental affairs, and data collection and reporting. The AgCenter is represented on these committees. – The AgCenter is setting up a Task Force Listserv to facilitate communication coordination. Forestry Recovery • The AgCenter will also be offering workshops to assist forestry producers in gathering information on government assistance programs, recovery of operations, marketing, stress management, financial issues and other topics. These workshops will include discussions from the LSU AgCenter, USDA – Farm Service Agency, USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service, Louisiana Forestry Association, Farm Bureau and other agencies. Fisheries Recovery • • • • Estimates of losses in revenue stemming from production losses caused by Katrina exceed $150 million. The most affected fisheries are shrimp, oysters, menhaden, crabs, and commercial finfish. The AgCenter will develop post-event characterization of the commercial industry, post-event characterization of the commercial industry--displacements, relocations, impacts, outlook for the commercial industry, and event impact on recreational sector. The AgCenter will be offering fisheries financial workshops to assist commercial fisherman in gathering information on government assistance programs as they are made available, recovery of operations, marketing, stress management and other topics. – These workshops will include discussions from the LSU AgCenter, USDA – Farm Service Agency, USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service, NOAA – Fisheries, Farm Bureau and other agencies. Fisherman will have the opportunity to identify concerns and ask questions on issues specific to their situations. Mid-Term and Long-Term Strategy • The AgCenter will continue with its traditional programs to provide mid-term long-term educational information to help affected citizens. • These program areas include: – Community Development – Deborah Tootle – Family and Consumer Sciences – Beth Gambel – Callegari Center – Bill Carney – Horticulture – Allan Morgan – LaHouse – Claudette Reichel • The audience is all affected citizens including: – shelters – families relocating – families who stayed in the affected parishes – temporary housing communities of evacuees Community Development • Will include educational programming and assistance for rebuilding communities and businesses. • AgCenter faculty will conduct programs on minimizing disaster stress at the community level, communicating with disaster victims, leadership, strategic planning, entrepreneurship, workplace development. Family and Consumer Sciences • Goals are to: – improve the well being of family members within individual families; – improve the well being of groups of individuals living is the shelter community; – help shelter residents develop a sense of future • The AgCenter has developed information dealing with home care and restoration, food safety, personal safety, financial management, stress reduction, and job preparedness which is included in Disaster Recovery Series Callegari Center • Can provide analytical testing of drinking water for safety purposes along with identifying contaminates in runoff water. • The Center's faculty is able to help identify proper clean up and disposal options of solid waste to include downed trees and other foliage, feces, dead animals, spoiled food, and sludge. Horticulture • • • • Developed materials to assist: – affected residents and homeowners – businesses – nurserymen – general horticulture industry – arborists – golf course superintendents – parish public works personnel Information will include: – landscape salvage, repair, renovation, and pruning; – tree trimming, repair and renewal; – insurance claims for lost trees; – turf grass and soil repair/renovation; – approaches to dealing with soil salinity and contaminated, waterlogged soils Much of this information is included in the Disaster Recovery Series We plan to utilize AgCenter faculty and Master Gardener volunteers to conduct workshops. LaHouse • LaHouse is here to spur the rebuilding of safer, stronger, smarter homes and communities for Katrina storm victims through educational outreach and training on locally appropriate, hazardresistant and energy efficient building science and technologies. • LaHouse will be used as an educational center to demonstrate appropriate technologies for rebuilding. • The LaHouse will educate affected residents on how to have MORE comfort, durability, value, convenience, and better health with LESS energy, water, pollution, waste, and property damage. • This Rebuild Initiative should specifically address that felt need and enable storm victims to take control of their future by the quality of housing they return to. See www.LouisianaHouse.org.