One Year Later, Katrina’s Damage is Still Far-Reaching
Springfield, Mo. — “I cannot understand how this is not still front-page news.” That was the reaction of a volunteer named Chad upon seeing the still-devastated condition of New Orleans in early August 2006, nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina hit. Chad was part of a team from a church in Ohio that spent one week gutting and cleaning out homes in the city, many of which had been untouched since the disaster.
The team was shocked at the extent of the damage that still remains. Debris covers homes and mold continues to grow in the waterlogged houses where vermin have taken up residency. During her week in New Orleans, Karen, another volunteer from Ohio, found it hard to comprehend the destruction left by the hurricane. “I was truly not prepared for what I was about to see, homes ruined, lives shattered, people homeless… the destruction down here is overwhelming, but the New Orleans people have a heart for their city, they’ll tell you this is their home and they are rebuilding and coming back home.”
Despite the tremendous amount of work still to be done throughout the Gulf Coast, the volunteers know they are making a difference. As one volunteer named Danita said, “With each room that the team cleans out, it is one room closer ‘til the family can move back in the home and start new memories. It felt good to know that I was part of their new beginning.”
With a new beginning comes new hope for the home’s owners, but there are thousands who are still waiting for their new beginning. Please consider volunteering your time to help with the ongoing clean-up and rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast.
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For more information:
Jeff Nene, COH Media Director, mobile 417/860-2196
http://www.convoyofhope.org
For more than ten years, Convoy of Hope™, a nonprofit organization, has provided resources to organizations and churches to meet physical and spiritual needs for the purpose of making the community a better place. This is accomplished through domestic and international outreaches, supply lines, and disaster response.