Background of the Situation

>> Tony Speier: On August 29th,
2005 Louisiana experienced one

of the most devastating natural
disasters to hit the United States.

This catastrophic event inundated south western
and south eastern Louisiana with flooding,

with massive displacement of our population

where over 100,000 people
were without their homes.

In this experience many of our citizen's
lost their way of life, their traditions

and their whole sense of their future.

This catastrophic event exposed us to a whole
new range of challenges as a state well versed

in helping people deal with natural disasters.

I'm Tony Speier, I'm the Executive
Director of the Louisiana Spirit Program

and over the last 3 years
we have worked diligently

with our population providing crisis
counseling services and helping people move

into a place a hope and a place of
building resilience in their lives.

It is through assisting families with real
live skills that they can use on a daily basis

to help problem solve, help learn how to have
fun again, that our program has excelled.