Oprah’s Angel Network

When natural disasters strike, people in rural areas face unique challenges in rebuilding their lives. The residents living in rural Louisiana who were impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are no exception.

Throughout the South, especially in the Delta region, the rate of rural poverty is high. Because of this fact, many families whose homes were destroyed after the storms didn’t have the means to move or rebuild. Many of these families had lived in the same area for generations. Proud of their communities and culture, they had no desire to move. Instead, what they wanted were the right resources to replant their roots.

Lorna Bourg, Executive Director of Southern Mutual Help Association, addresses a group during a trip to a rural Louisiana parish.

© 2008 Oprah's Angel Network

Southern Mutual Help Association (SMHA) is deeply aware of and invested in the unique needs of rural communities along the Gulf Coast.

In talking about its approach to recovery after the storms, Lorna Bourg, executive director of SMHA says, “We decided we would go in and just listen and look, and use our social capital and our intelligence and connections in communities and decide to help people … we’d look for this spirit of self-help that we wanted to encourage … because we’re not just repairing houses, we’re trying to build rural communities.”

Thanks to SMHA, rural Louisiana continues its comeback. Hear more about the recovery situation from residents, Lorna and other SMHA staff and volunteers in this video clip:

To support the recovery of rural communities along the Gulf Coast, the Angel Network provided a grant to Rural LISC (the Local Initiatives Support Corporation) who in turn provided funding to support SMHA’s work in Louisiana. Rural LISC is one of the largest supporters of community development corporations in the country.