Certain residents of LaPlace will be receiving visits from the Loyola University Community Action Program for the foreseeable upcoming Saturdays.

LaPlace faced severe damage after Hurricane Isaac and Catholic Charities enlisted the help of volunteers from local high schools and universities to aid residents with the process of gutting their homes and cleaning their yards.

LUCAP’s supervisors have led groups to the troubled area the past two Saturdays.

Volunteer Christine Johnson helped “gut” the house of a LaPlace resident whose house had filled with four feet of water during the storm.

“It was a really intimidating task at first when we saw how much stuff needed to be cleared out. With (the owner’s) help, we sorted through his possessions and tried to salvage anything that wasn’t too badly damaged. After that, we began knocking down the drywall and tearing up the wood flooring,” Johnson said.

“It was incredibly exhausting and hot, but it was very hands- on, which is definitely fulfilling,” Johnson said. “Unlike a lot of service work where you just have to hope that what you’re doing is helping, in this type of work, I could actually see the results of our efforts.”

Joe Deegan, the advisor for LUCAP, said that the program is still assessing the amount of work that will need to be done to restore LaPlace.

Volunteers in previous weeks were required to pack up the residents’ belongings and fully gut a house. However, according to Deegan, the work can vary depending on what the needs are.

Shelby Schultheis can be reached at [email protected]