(Distributed 09/07/08) When disasters happen, dedicated volunteers and professionals swing into action to help those affected by the tragedy. But these helpers also have needs, says LSU AgCenter family and consumer sciences specialist Becky White.

The LSU AgCenter’s efforts to help with the cleanup and recovery in New Orleans continue to take on national dimensions. One of the latest projects targeted Bayou Metairie in City Park and included 200 volunteers. Although most were local, some came from as far away as Boston.

When LSU AgCenter Hurricane Recovery Coordinator Mark Schexnayder hosted a group of volunteers from Ohio State University in December, he had no idea one of them would soon become a coworker. But that’s the way it turned out when Amanda Hardesty took on the task of volunteer coordinator with Louisiana Sea Grant and settled into sharing office space with other LSU AgCenter personnel in Jefferson Parish

As New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region struggle to recover from last year’s hurricanes, help continues to arrive, and LSU AgCenter faculty members continue to assist in coordinating those efforts. Among the latest to help was a group of students from Penn State University, who gave up their spring break last week (March 4-10) to visit the New Orleans area and help to get the city back up and running.

(Distributed 1/4/08) On January 7, the two top college football teams in the nation will battle to see who will win, but for many people devastated by Hurricane Katrina, both are already winners.

When disaster strikes, people everywhere want to help those individuals in need. To ensure that this compassion and generosity are put to good use, it’s important to know what stages victims go through disaster recovery.

The temporary shelter at Parker Coliseum on the LSU campus, set up to handle pet animals evacuated from hurricane-affected areas of southeast Louisiana, is bursting at the seams and accepting no more animals at this time.

When disasters happen, dedicated volunteers and professionals swing into action to help those affected by the tragedy. But who takes care of the "helpers"?