LIVE UNITED Star
LAFAYETTE, LA - Esther and Lorenz Duhon lost more than their home and material objects from damages sustained from Hurricane Gustav. Esther and Lorenz Duhon lost a son. But they also gained the support of their family, friends and total strangers who rallied to put the Duhons’ lives back in some order.
Esther and Lorenz evacuated for the storm. Their twenty-seven year old son, Keith, stayed behind due to work obligations. Keith was killed during the storm when a tree fell on his parent’s home. Keith was Gustav’s only fatality in Acadiana.
Their home a total loss, the grief-stricken Duhons tried to cope. The reality of the toppled water oak and a demolished home haunted family members uncertain of what to do or where to turn.
Friends intervened and eventually contacted 232-HELP/211 who then turned to United Way of Acadiana’s "Operation Clean-up." United Way quickly rallied its Native American volunteers with the Tribal Civilian Community Corp of Hoopa, California who were assisting them with Operation Clean Up.
"Operation: Cleanup Acadiana," is a volunteer-run debris-removal project for elderly and/or disabled neighbors affected by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The program is coordinated and sponsored by United Way of Acadiana.
United Way of Acadiana worked in association with AmeriCorps to bring the TCCC volunteers to Acadiana to assist with debris removal for the two back-to-back Hurricanes Gustav and Ike which impacted local communities. On Friday, September 19th, United Way of Acadiana and the TCCC took the first steps to begin removing the large tree from the Duhon home.
As a result of a successful collaboration between United Way of Acadiana, 232-HELP/2-1-1 and other local organizations, United Way of Acadiana was able to respond to the family during their time of crisis. United Way of Acadiana also connected the Duhon family to a licensed professional counselor and a case manager for mental health support and grief counseling.
The Live United Star is a highlighted individual and/or group who did an exceptional job related to crisis preparedness, response and recovery (Nominations can be emailed to erin.sammons@uwa.unitedway.org. Please type STAR in the subject line.).