Hurricane Katrina Update: Status of the Armenian Community in Louisiana
[...]
First and most importantly, there has been no loss of life among the local Armenian families. There has been a substantial loss of property due to wind, rain, and flooding. And the Armenians who run businesses in New Orleans expect that those businesses are lost or in ruins--which obviously may leave the greatest long term consequence for community members.
[...]
Baton Rouge and La Place are the two main locales where displaced Armenian families have been domiciled. Mr. Vasken Kaltakjian {, Chairman of the Baton Rouge, LA, mission parish} attests that conditions in Baton Rouge are relatively "normal," given the circumstances elsewhere in the state; but the resources of the area are strained by the influx of refugees from the disaster zone. In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, the Armenian residents of Baton Rouge hosted four Armenian families--two of which have already moved on to stay with relatives in La Place. Other families have been notified and welcomed to come to Baton Rouge.
[...]
The Baton Rouge mission parish owns a church facility of 4,000 square feet; adjacent to it is a 1,500 square-foot reception hall, which seats about 100 people. The parish has notified displaced Armenian families that they are welcome to stay in the facility, but none has as yet taken up that offer; for now, they have preferred to stay in the private homes of Armenians unaffected by the disaster. However, several families presently staying in Texas may take up temporary residence in the church building when they return to Louisiana.
[...]
The Armenian community of Baton Rouge, LA, is about 30 years old. When Mr. Kaltakjian first came to Baton Rouge in 1977, he estimates that about a third of the present community was already resident there. Most of the residents (then and now) hail originally from Lebanon; some come from Syria; and there are families from Egypt and Armenia itself. Living in a hurricane zone, the community has seen extreme atmospheric conditions, as well as flooding, in the past; but certainly nothing like the present crisis.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
First and most importantly, there has been no loss of life among the local Armenian families. There has been a substantial loss of property due to wind, rain, and flooding. And the Armenians who run businesses in New Orleans expect that those businesses are lost or in ruins--which obviously may leave the greatest long term consequence for community members.
[...]
Baton Rouge and La Place are the two main locales where displaced Armenian families have been domiciled. Mr. Vasken Kaltakjian {, Chairman of the Baton Rouge, LA, mission parish} attests that conditions in Baton Rouge are relatively "normal," given the circumstances elsewhere in the state; but the resources of the area are strained by the influx of refugees from the disaster zone. In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, the Armenian residents of Baton Rouge hosted four Armenian families--two of which have already moved on to stay with relatives in La Place. Other families have been notified and welcomed to come to Baton Rouge.
[...]
The Baton Rouge mission parish owns a church facility of 4,000 square feet; adjacent to it is a 1,500 square-foot reception hall, which seats about 100 people. The parish has notified displaced Armenian families that they are welcome to stay in the facility, but none has as yet taken up that offer; for now, they have preferred to stay in the private homes of Armenians unaffected by the disaster. However, several families presently staying in Texas may take up temporary residence in the church building when they return to Louisiana.
[...]
The Armenian community of Baton Rouge, LA, is about 30 years old. When Mr. Kaltakjian first came to Baton Rouge in 1977, he estimates that about a third of the present community was already resident there. Most of the residents (then and now) hail originally from Lebanon; some come from Syria; and there are families from Egypt and Armenia itself. Living in a hurricane zone, the community has seen extreme atmospheric conditions, as well as flooding, in the past; but certainly nothing like the present crisis.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 8:11 AM
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