The city of New Orleans opened an emergency shelter at the Rosenwald Center Tuesday night to provide refuge for up to 120 people during Tropical Storm Bertha. City staff plans to keep the shelter open through Thursday morning, depending on the weather.
At 7 p.m. Tuesday, the city opened its only overnight refuge for people affected by the storm. Taylor Diles, director of New Orleans’ homeless services, said private shelters can send individuals to the Rosenwald Center once they reach capacity.
“The summertime in New Orleans is treacherous,” Diles said. “For the last week or so, we’ve been dealing with extreme heat, and that’s extremely taxing on the body, and so you have those folks who are already in a vulnerable situation that are then exposed to the elements and then have a tropical storm coming. To even provide a couple of nights of peace, a hot meal, some cold water. It goes a long way.”
The nonprofit Second Harvest and its volunteers provide meals for those at the shelter. On Tuesday, they delivered over 150 fish, rice, and vegetable dinners.
“It’s a great testament to what the community and the power of the community can do,” said Paul Scelfo, vice president of kitchen operations for Second Harvest.
Scelfo said Second Harvest will provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner Wednesday, and breakfast Thursday.
“There’s not one meal that you’re going to see today that wasn’t put together or purchased or created without the help of our local community,” he said.
Diles said the shelter primarily serves people experiencing homelessness but is also open to others in need.
“If there are any impacts from the storm, folks lose power or lose air conditioning and need a temporary place to stay, this center will be open for them,” Diles said. “The city of New Orleans is prepared. We are here to help our neighbors, and we will make it through this storm.”
Diles said people should call 3-1-1 if they see someone living outside in their neighborhood. City staff will pick up the individual and bring them to the shelter.
Click here to learn about volunteering with Second Harvest.
READ MORE:New Orleans opens emergency shelter at Rosenwald Center during Tropical Storm Bertha
