At 12:45pm on Thursday 9/7/23 residents of the apartment building at the corner of Chartres St. and Egania St., in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, rushed outside to see their home on fire. The building burned for about 15 minutes. Spreading quickly, it destroyed half of the second and third floors. NOFD responded quickly and effectively but the damage was done, and the entire building was rendered uninhabitable. Much of what was spared by the flames was destroyed by smoke and water damage. Miraculously, nobody was physically hurt. The residents of the building are currently in temporary housing and working to rebuild their lives.

We are calling on our community to support our neighbors as they navigate this time of devastation. Many of the residents are staying at a hotel in New Orleans East. At this point direct funds are the best way to support our neighbors on the long road to rebuild their uprooted lives. Funds are needed for transportation, clothes, replacing belongings, and for those unable to work because of being displaced.

Reach out a hand for the Grandmother taking care of three boys. For the teenager who was woken up by his brother and only had time to grab his work uniform so he could keep his job. For the family who welcomed a child into the world just 7 hours before their home caught fire and rushed from the hospital to pull baby supplies from their apartment.

The Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development (CSED) is organizing this effort. Our office is located next to the apartment building, and we were the first organization on the scene. We quickly got the names and contact information of all the tenants of the building and are working to get resources to them as quickly as possible. LA4GND has already approved $2,500 of relief funding for the tenants which is a huge step forward but we can show up even more for our neighbors.

Once funds are raised we will disburse them to each of the 8 households affected by the fire.