DISASTER RESPONSE

Hurricane Katrina

It is unusual for a natural disaster to be so devastating that a large portion of the population actually leaves the area permanently, but that is what happened with Hurricane Katrina. In fact, after several days of living in the astrodome in Houston approximately 200 families found their way to Silicon Valley. Half of those have chosen to stay.

HIF was ready. As soon as it became apparent that Hurricane Katrina victims were arriving, the executive committee approved $10,000 to assist them with housing costs. Donations from the evening of the September Summit were added to that to bring the total to $13,196. In October, HIF received $29,154 from Gerson Bakar & Associates, representing matching funds for donations made by their employees and residents. Then, in December, the Junior League of San Jose donated an additional $5,000, bringing the total funds available for this purpose to $47,350.

HIF Participates in a resource fair for Hurricane Katrina victims in the Bay Area.

As a member of CADRE (Collaborating Agencies’ Disaster Relief Effort), HIF was already involved in discussions as to how best assist these new residents. Tri-County was also concerned and helped by asking its membership of possible units to permanently house the evacuees. The City of San Jose Department of Housing also contacted property owners to find suitable housing. At the same time, the Housing Authority made Section 8 vouchers available to them, making the housing search much more realistic since the rent would now be heavily subsidized.

With this development, it became clear that the greatest housing need was help with the security deposits. The HIF board approved a budget that would provide $500 for each of the 65 households registered with the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross. The Housing Department agreed to pay the additional cost if the deposit was more than that. The board also approved funds up to $1000 per household for evacuees registered with the Palo Alto American Red Cross since there was no backup money to pay deposits in excess of $500.

HIF paid deposits for 74 Hurricane Katrina evacuee households. In addition, HIF received the donation of a car from Fran McManus that was passed along to one of the families, plus a great deal of furniture from Brook Furniture that was made available to all evacuees in the area.

This is a great example of how quickly and efficiently HIF can respond to needs in our community. Without a large bureaucracy, we have the flexibility to design a program to meet emerging needs and make it operational immediately. Sixty-five families that have moved from temporary housing into nice homes are grateful.