Baton Rouge, Louisiana — Updated September 4, 2008 — In the wake of Hurricane Gustav, officials lifted roadblocks and tens of thousands residents returned despite widespread power outages, Reuters reported today. IRD staff from our Gulf Coast Community Resource Center, based in Gulfport, is already in Baton Rouge to assess damage and provide critical disaster care management services, and have added two full-time positions to assist with the response. An additional assessment team from headquarters will arrive to assess damage tomorrow.

Your donation will help us bring emergency relief to the victims of this disaster.

It is important to remember that even the smallest donation can make a difference for the victims of disaster. Thanks for your compassion.

Emergency relief items are needed, but please check back to the site for periodic updates on what has been requested.

The IRD Gulf Coast Community Service Center (GCCSC) has been rebuilding the lives of the citizens of the Mississippi Gulf Coast since October 2005, opening its doors a little more than one month following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The goal of the Center is to reach out to the community and assist in the organization and facilitation of an often-difficult recovery process. Located in West Gulfport, the Center serves the entire Gulf Coast. Helping people rebuild their lives, their relationships, and their sense of self-sufficiency, is equally as important to their long-term recovery and that of their communities as their physical needs; it is the human side of recovery that the GCCSC addresses.