Delgado Cares - Hurricane Ida

Latest News from Delgado

I hope this message finds you and your families safe and well.  We are in an active recovery phase in which we are restoring facilities to ensure a safe return.  As you know, the original return date of Monday, September 13, was postponed to Monday, September 20, to ensure the College was able to restore facilities and to allow faculty, staff, and students an opportunity to rebuild their personal lives.  We have learned so much about ourselves in the last two years.  I often speak of resilience.  However, with Hurricane Ida, I characterize what we are experiencing while still navigating COVID-19, as resilient perseverance.  Once again, Delgado Community College has demonstrated that no matter what the obstacle, we are prepared to overcome it. 

Facilities

The Emergency Preparedness Team and the Executive Team have had ongoing meetings leading up to Hurricane Ida and post-Hurricane Ida.  Facilities staff and Campus Police were “boots on the ground” to assess all Delgado campuses and sites starting the day after Hurricane Ida ravished the City of New Orleans and the metropolitan areas.  We have had an external contractor and consultant onsite, who have revisited, assessed, and remediated all impacted facilities. I am happy to report that we have received clearance from our contractor and consultant that the facilities are safe for return.  Below is a brief update by campus/site.

City Park Campus - Cleared to return Monday, September 20, 2021

  • All buildings have been assessed by external contractor, cleaned, and cleared with the exception of:
    • Isolated Areas of Building 1 - All areas of Building 1 will be accessible except for the following areas that have been self-contained and require further repairs and remediation:
      -Rooms on the east side of building including, Arts and Humanities Division offices (1st Floor);

-Honors Program office, 222E, and 226E (2nd floor); and
-318E and 317E (3rd Floor).
There will be no access for faculty, staff, and students to these isolated areas of the building until further notice.

    • Kirsch-Rooney Stadium suffered damage to the press box and the metal roof.

West Bank Campus - Cleared to return Monday, September 20, 2021

  • All buildings have been assessed by external contractor and repairs, remediation, and surface cleaning will be completed this week in Buildings 1, 2 and 4, which incurred minor roof damage.

Charity School of Nursing- Cleared to return Monday, September 20, 2021

  • The Nursing Building has been assessed by external contractor.  The building incurred minor wind-driven rain with no significant repairs required. Remediation and surface cleaning by the contractor will be completed this week.

Sidney Collier Site - Cleared to return Monday, September 20, 2021

  • Buildings incurred no significant damage from Hurricane Ida.

Maritime and Industrial Training FacilityWe have not received clearance from contractor or consultant; however, we expect clearance by tomorrow as the site incurred minimal damage.

  • Minor repairs needed.  The Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development will communicate directly to the team when the building has officially received clearance.

Jefferson Site - Only Building B is cleared for return on Monday, September 20, 2021

  • The Executive Dean has communicated with division deans the areas that have not been cleared, and arrangements have been made to relocate operations for those impacted areas to other campuses/sites.

River City Site - Cleared to return Monday, September 20, 2021

  • Sustained minor roof damage and wind-driven rain. Currently, the site is without power, and a generator has been installed. Remediation and surface cleaning by the contractor will be completed this week.

Custodial staff are in the process of cleaning surface areas that sustained little to no damage. Please keep in mind that we are still in the recovery phase and continue to work with the insurance company.

Sincerely,

Larissa Littleton Steib, Ph.D.
Chancellor

From the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs

Dear Students,

The College will resume operations on Monday, September 20.  Because we have missed time due to the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, the academic calendar for the fall semester has been revised to extend the semester by one week to ensure we meet instructional time requirements.  

Most classes will be virtual from September 20 - October 1, with the exception of nursing/allied health clinicals, practicums, labs and other courses that must be taught in a face-to-face manner.  You will receive information from your instructors about whether your classes are virtual or in-person. As we get closer to the 20th, more information will be communicated about the availability of on-campus and other resources if you are in need of computer/internet access to participate in classes.  Please check your course CANVAS sites and your email for communication from your instructors about your classes.  

Minisession 1 which was to start on September 20 has been cancelled.  There are no changes to Minisession 2.  Changes to note on the revised calendar include

Classes Resume 

September 20 

Census Day 

September 21 

Term A 

Extended by one week to now end on October 12 

Term B 

Starts one week later, now to start on October 13 

Fall Holidays 

To be used as instructional time as needed 

Full term Final Withdrawal Date 

November 10 

Thanksgiving Holidays 

November 25-28 with November 24 to be used as instructional time as needed 

Last Day of Class 

December 6 

Final Exams 

December 7-13 

Wintersession Begins 

December 14 

Commencement 

TBA


Stay safe and we look forward to assisting you to get back on track toward your educational goals.

I hope this message finds you and your family safe and well.  Power has now been restored to all Delgado campuses and sites, and we are able to begin the restoration process.  However, I know that there are many among us who have sustained damages to our homes and are still without power.  In my last communication to you, I indicated that we would return on September 13, as this would allow the College an opportunity to remediate facilities and provide faculty, staff, and students an opportunity to get their personal lives in order. I also indicated that from September 13 through September 24, we would move to a rotational virtual/remote work schedule (a combination of in-person and remote work), and face-to-face instruction would move to virtual or hybrid modalities--with clinicals, practicums, and hands-on technical classes being the exception.  

Each day the College continues to make substantial progress, and this is because of the unwavering dedication of essential employees who have shown up for work every day since Monday, August 30 as well as those employees who have continued to work virtually so that Delgado maintains business and operational continuity.  Even with the substantial progress made, we are not to the point of launching a virtual return.  As I have indicated previously, this is a constantly evolving matter and much is dependent upon variables that are beyond our control. If we must make changes or adjust, we are prepared to do so. At this time, we must adjust our timeline; therefore, we are postponing our return of September 13 to September 20. The amended return plan is Monday, September 20 through Friday, October 1. During this time, staff will be on a virtual/ remote schedule to allow for rotational in-person work.  All face-to-face instructional classes will be moved to a virtual or hybrid modality. Clinicals, practicums and hands-on classes for nursing, allied health, culinary, and technical will resume in-person instruction on September 20, and faculty and students will receive guidance from the division deans.  Postponing our return will have implications to the academic calendar and schedule--additional information will be provided by the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.

Essential staff (facilities, campus police, housekeeping, and OIT), please note that the above timeline does not apply to you and you must check in with your supervisor regarding work schedules. Additionally, the Joey Georgusis Center for Children will remain closed until further notice. 

Many faculty, staff, and students have been harshly impacted by Hurricane Ida.  To provide direct assistance, the Office of Institutional Advancement is seeking resources that can benefit our employees and students.  Please visit the Delgado Cares webpage to learn more about these efforts. New information will be added as it becomes available.

We will get through this: we are resilient, we are strong, we are Delgado.  Thank you for everything you continue to do each and every day on behalf of the College and our students.

Sincerely, 

Larissa Littleton-Steib, Ph.D.
Chancellor, Delgado Community College     

We have been able to do preliminary assessments of all facilities and it appears that we have minimum damage.  No damages have been reported to our IT systems.  We are in the process of conducting more in-depth evaluations of all facilities and IT infrastructures. 

I have been advised by Entergy that first light could come to New Orleans as soon as Wednesday midnight, which would then gradually re-establish service throughout the New Orleans metro areas.  I will have a better timeline later this week.  We do know that there are some areas in the Greater New Orleans Area with power, and on the Northshore, Cleco has been establishing service and is posting timely restoration updates.

Faculty, staff, and students were advised that all classes, coursework, and assignments are suspended until a return to class date is set.  At that time, instructors will provide guidance to students on assignments and due dates.  Students were also advised to monitor the College’s website for updates, as well as email and CANVAS.

The College is closed through Friday, September 3, 2021.  Please note that Monday, September 6th is Labor Day Holiday, and the College is closed.  We are moving forward with closure through Friday, September 10th Everything I am hearing is that power will be restored to the New Orleans metro area by the end of that week.  A return of September 13th will give faculty, staff, and students an opportunity to get personal lives in order.

Unfortunately, COVID 19 is still a major concern particularly since many have evacuated with extended family and those that sheltered in place may have also done so with extended family.  We have been extremely proactive with COVID-19 and we have instituted many protocols to ensure safety and we have done extremely well.  Now is not the time to take any chances; therefore, we will pivot to virtual and remote operations and instruction beginning September 13th - September 24th.  Please note that we may have to add the missed instructional days to the fall academic calendar. More information pertaining to the academic schedule is forthcoming and will be communicated by the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.

If you have not already done so, please complete the emergency questionnaire which will allow the College to ascertain needs that you may have.  Please continue to monitor emails and website for additional information.

Sincerely,

Larissa Littleton Steib, Ph.D.
Chancellor

Because of the significant impacts of Ida, the College will remain closed through September 3. Reopening status beyond this week will be communicated to you at a later date. Please stay connected via Facebook and the Delgado website.

Just as we have been proactive with COVID-19, Hurricane Ida will be no different. The below emergency resources can benefit you and your family. Your safety and the safety of your family is paramount so please take care of yourselves, your neighbors, and those you love. 

 

You Can Help!

Make a donation to help students, faculty/staff and the college with disaster assistance

donate now

Hurricane Ida Relief page on Amazon.com

Select items for purchase and delivery for Delgado faculty, staff, and students who may be in need after Hurricane Ida.

amazon wishlist

Emergency Questionnaire

Please complete the form so that the College can ascertain needs that you may have:

Faculty/Staff

Students

Resources

FEMA & Disaster Assistance - Apply for assistance

  • Critical needs - FEMA
  • Generator and Chainsaw Reimbursement - FEMA

State of Louisiana - Hurricane Recovery page

Red Cross - Assistance information; where to find a local Red Cross

Second Harvest Food Bank - Food and support

Food Distribution - Resource calendar with upcoming resources such as cooling and meal distribution centers.

DSNAP - Pre-register for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP)

GNO Inc. - Storm upates; Local Utility Status and resources

NOLA Ready - Emergency information; Basic Needs Assistance (food, water, ice, charging, cooling etc.)

Medical Assistance

  • Individuals needing basic medical assistance can visit the Allie Mae Multi Service Center  (2020 Jackson Avenue).
  • Services will be limited and include oxygen exchange, prescription refill, and medical assessment. No medications is available on-site. This will be open 24/7.

Hotel Expenses

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday it will cover hotel expenses for survivors of Hurricane Ida with damaged homes or dwellings in 25 parishes in southeast Louisiana. 

The program, known as Transitional Sheltering Assistance, will provide survivors with short term housing free-of-charge as they recover from the Category 4 storm.  READ MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM ON THE ADVOCATE.

Shelters

  • A limited shelter for individuals with significant medical issues will be online at the Convention Center. More information will be forthcoming. Shelters will only be available on a limited basis and will not allow walk-ups
  • The City is finalizing plans to transport residents to state-run shelters in Northern Louisiana. First availablity will be to seniors and individuals with medical needs and then the general population.

Clean Up

NOLA Ready: Need help cleaning up your home/yard after Hurrican Ida? Call Crisis Cleanup to be connected to volunteer groups willing to assist. 844-965-1386

Business Community Help

JEDCO -  List of resources to help business owners navigate recovery efforts

Local News

NOLA.com - What's open; where to get gas and food in the New Orleans area

Live news feeds from Fox 8, WWL TV, WGNO and WDSU