KATRINA RELIEF by Norma Hoag

OCTOBER 22-28, 2006
by Norma Hoag

On Sunday, October 22, twenty men and women left Linworth United Methodist Church, Columbus, Ohio, to go to New Orleans, La. to help with the Katrina Relief. This is my journal of our trip....

October 22, 2006

Here we are on our road to New Orleans. I'm very excited and somewhat anxious about this trip. However, it has been in my heart and soul to come here to help ever since the hurricane Katrina hit August 29, 2005. What devastation these people went through!! Lives and hearts were changed forever and continue to change.

The van ride is a little tight. I'm restless with too much on my mind. Am I spoiled with comfort? I love my book I'm reading as I ride along and sometimes I talk a little. It is wonderful to bond with so many new friends with our hearts all in the same place. We have 20 men and women in two vans who have left their work, homes and families to lend a hand where we feel there is a need.

We drive for 11 hours and arrive at a beautiful church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is 11:30 p.m. and two wonderful ladies meet us and serve us dinner. Wow!! A good nights' rest and we are on the road early to New Orleans. We talk about this mission and how we all feel led to this journey not knowing what to expect.

We arrive at lunch time and some volunteer ladies serve us beans and rice from a tent. We are hungry and appreciative.

We are staying at a church/school that has been destroyed internally by the hurricane. The vans are arriving from Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas and other places to help in any way we can. Strangers - but united!! The facility has been set up with cots and a few bunk beds for volunteers. Our room has about 20 women. Down the hall is a bathroom with showers, sinks, and potties. So--here we go girls! No make-up, no hair blowers and no curling irons. The men's quarters are similar. There is a dining room and an assembly room for all to gather in. Everything at our compound functions on a generator.

I feel such freedom being here to help others. I'm so thankful my husband, Terry, and my family were so supportive of me coming on this trip. I'm concentrating totally on our work. WE ARE ALL READY!!

It is 12:30 p.m. and we're all in our "muck clothes" and work boots headed for our work site. We're speechless as we drive near Lake Pontchartrain through beautiful neighborhoods that used to be so alive with families and life. Total devastation with most homes having 13' or so of mucky debris and water. Now it is 14 months later.

It really looks like a "GHOST TOWN" here. The schools are empty, businesses closed, signs down, libraries destroyed. Our hearts are heavy as we look and feel for those who have gone through so much. We are here to help clean up and offer HOPE??!! It just seems so little when so much needs to be done. Where are the people? ---- How can lives be put back together? ----- It is so desolate here. FEMA trailers are everywhere. ---- Where to begin??

We arrive at our home. The couple who lived here came back once. Everything inside is destroyed. They have left and have started a new life in Texas, leaving all behind.

These lovely brick homes were valued at $150,000 to $160,000 before Katrina hit. Now they are being sold for $40,000 cleaned out and gutted to the studs.

We can hardly get the front door open for the debris. The water was clear up into the attic. The ceiling (drywall) has crumbled to the floor plus the insulation. The furniture is every direction in a tangle of wires. Oh Lord!! -- Where to begin. We touch a family’s things; pictures, clothes -- just like our own homes. Only...DESTROYED!! I don't feel anger, only sadness!!

We must have our legs and arms covered. We are issued surgical gloves to wear under our heavy work gloves. Preparations are wonderful here for volunteers. I thought we might receive a thin paper mask. But, no; we are given filtered gas masks that must be worn continually while in the home. The stench of mold, etc. is unbearable and dangerous to breathe. We have received tetanus and hepatitis A shots before our trip for protection. Now we understand why. The masks are confining and you cannot talk to each other. Maybe that is a blessing. -- What is there to say??!!

We start picking up debris and carrying things out. The kitchen is filled with old cans and food debris. The silverware and dishes are everywhere. I get emotional over a can of baking powder where someone made something for their family in this kitchen. No one notices my tears and we keep moving. We are driven now!!

Clothes are still hanging in the closets and in the dresser drawers. How sad!! This home is just sitting here rotting away. The only thing alive inside are some roaches. A pre-historic thing which I guess will always be around.

Dear Lord, if I feel this way, how do so many thousands feel who have lost so much? I am so glad I'm here to help-- if even in a small way, we are here to help and bring HOPE. Guide us Lord...please.. I'm not feeling it now. I'm numb and want to work hard physically. It helps!!

The sounds in the house are deafening. Cabinet doors being ripped from their hinges. Lights and fans coming down from the ceiling. Crow bars taking off drywall and wood work. Hammers ripping out nails and hammering some in. Tile being scraped off or beaten with hammers. Filthy carpet which is four or five inches thick with muddy oily muck. Our crew works so hard carrying out stoves, refrigerators, washers, dryers, heavy mattresses. We are instructed to separate appliances, items with electrical wiring, chemicals, and then just general household. The piles continue to grow larger and higher at the edge of the street in front of the home.

We are working side by side 20 church members from a church in Cincinnati, Ohio. We do not know these people nor do they know us. -- Side by side we work sharing tools and directed to clear and clean the house "best we can".

When we take a break, we reach in an icy cooler for a fresh bottle of water. The mask comes off and we breathe fresh air. I get emotional again thinking how we are so fortunate to have the fresh water. Some of us talk softly and others are silent just resting. Then it hits you to get back inside and help more. The pile in front of the property is so high with what's left of a one time active home. You feel and touch pictures, music boxes, little sandals, toys, and special glass wear, ---so many memories in a dirty heap.

In the back yard is a picnic table with a water pond beside it. The sun is shining down on several beautiful water lilies in the pond. Thank you God!!.....It makes us smile and feel a sign of life and hope. God is so big and powerful............we are so small so very small.

Then we begin to clear out a wonderful large workshop shed in the back. Great tools of all kinds are destroyed. It reminds many of us of our Dad's tool shop and we grieve again. So many emotions!!

Now we are down to the bare floor in the home. Only studs show and light and fresh air will come through and help dry out this home. Our work is complete here.

We have met the young couple with two little boys who will soon call this their home. As we talk with them and walk in the back yard they smile and are excited to live here sometime in the near future. We feel hope again.

Thank you Lord for today and the strength you gave us.....

Every evening we have devotions together with the staff leaders and all volunteers. It is awesome to reflect on our day. It renews our minds and bodies to say thank you Lord for what we have. It helps us to make a self-check personally on how we are living and what is important in our lives! HOW ARE WE LIVING??

The young leaders here are awesome; Adam and Matt and others. Giving their lives to help for so long in New Orleans is amazing. Their spirit was catching!!

We get up early to begin a new day. Coffee.....where are you? Our bodies are tired but we do not care. We persevere on,.
After a nice breakfast, we make a sandwich for lunch. I am amazed at how red and shiny the apples seem, and the bacon is so inviting and crisp. It isn't that I haven't noticed it before, but life’s' little details stand out brighter and everything looks different after being in the bleak destroyed area. Before we leave for another worksite we all gather together for prayer and devotions. Our work boots are on and we're ready for our 2nd home.


We meet Vinson........

At the second worksite as we are ready to enter; the home owner's son arrives. He is a big burly guy with facial hair, tattoos, (many tattoos), however he has one special one of Christ on the Cross on his arm. He shows us this and how proud he is of it. He is sad about his Mother's home, but most sad that she died three months after Katrina hit. He asks that we look for her Rosary Beads, which we did find.

We listen to him tell his story as tears run down his cheeks, and we all cry with him. One of our guys steps forward and gives Vinson and big hug. Vinson explains that it is what's inside that counts. Then he pulls out from under his shirt a very heavy chain with a cross on it and he cries again. As Pastor Terry embraces Vinson he begins to pray. What a wonderful moment for Vinson and each one of us before we begin. It is moments like these that you feel the Lord's presence like a warm blanket.

I want Vinson to leave so he won't see us carrying out his Mother's things. But he doesn't---- I can see him waiting by his truck as we start carrying and pushing wheel barrows filled going in out the doors with her precious things mushed down being dumped in to a pile outside. Another sad moment was to see that after all this time since August 29, 2005, a neighbor continues to put out a pan of dog food on the carport in hopes that Vinson's Mother's missing dog might return. We feel the dog is gone forever----but we say nothing as they continue to hope. What else do they have now but faith and hope!!

Two doors down we meet a wonderful neighbor who is living in her FEMA trailer in front of her home. She comes over to thank us for coming to help. She is smiling; she has a wonderful spirit and is extremely hospitable and gracious. She offers us the use of her bathroom in her trailer for the ladies. As she begins to tell her story, we listen to how much she has endured. Her home has been gutted and re-done. She was alone when Katrina hit as her husband had died several years ago. Her mother died since Katrina came and her 48 year old son died last month as he was painting her bedroom in her home. She still smiles and tells us of her faith. Her home is paid for, she has many family members in St. Bernard Parish, and she will not leave. I ask her if I can take her picture in front of her FEMA trailer. She laughs and said no one had asked to do that before. We are all touched by her strength.

Once again, we are extremely directed to finish this home by the end of our work day. We do complete the gutting as the pile grows in the front of her home. We see chairs, tables, sewing machines, picture albums, Halloween decorations, Christmas decorations all in a heap again destroyed. Her life; her memories. One little lonely mouse runs out. We can't even imagine what he was living on.

As on many streets we can see maybe three homes refurbished or a FEMA trailer in front which indicates the family will stay. That isn't very many on a whole block.

Vinson has left. I don't want him to see his Mother's home and the pile of memories and debris in front. But I feel sure through his sadness, he will be somewhat relieved it is finished and he didn't have to do it himself.

How many emotions the people here must feel? Sadness, anger, discouragement, depression, ----- I pray we have offered some hope! WE DO CARE.......

Down the block I can see the mailman coming in his little van. Loretta said they just started having mail delivered one month ago. Halloween is in one week. I try to make a joke about how I wouldn't want to "trick or treat" in these neighborhoods. Everyone in our van laughs; then I'm sorry I said that. It was a very sad joke.

Tonight we have been invited to Hilltop by Brandon, who is another leader for Katrina relief workers several miles from here. He has invited our group for a New Orleans dinner. How wonderful to meet, see, and hear about his mission work. He has been here to help since a few days after the hurricane hit. Our meal is so wonderful..... The lettuce salad is so fresh and crisp and the beautiful large bowl of fruit is yummy. He shares with us the work he has been doing, and gives us a tour of the school they call home now. Their housing quarters are similar to where we are. The first floor was destroyed so they are sleeping on the second floor. He ends our evening by showing us some footage of the hurricane and the damage from a year ago. What a wonderful person he is to dedicate his life now to the disaster relief. Two of our men have been down earlier this year and stayed here with Brandon at Hilltop.

Now we are ready this morning for our third home. We meet the mother of the man who will be moving into this home; she lives across the street in a very large two-story brick home. Her name is Nancy and her smile is huge as she greets us. She lives in a FEMA trailer also. She and her family cleaned out and gutted their own home. She is thrilled to see us and have help. She is absolutely delightful. We hear stories about her family and their experiences. She gives us hope as her yard is green and new grass has been planted at the home where we are gutting out. Life will go on..........

Our plans are to finish on this home early today. All of the volunteers at Crossroads will be taking some extra time to drive and look around New Orleans and visit the French Quarter. We are looking forward to the rest of our day but we become so directed in our clean out on this home that several of us do not want to quit. We feel with just a couple of hours we can do so much more. We do quit midday. I wonder how many workers have this feeling, "if I just could do a little bit more". Something in our minds tells us that we can do more and more, but we are only a handful of volunteers and we need to realize our capabilities. It is very important to us to know we have completed a project for someone so they can move on to the next step of rebuilding their lives.

We shower and dress appropriately for going out for the evening. It feels good... We have an enlightening trip driving to the heart of New Orleans. It is still unbelievable what we are seeing in one neighborhood after another. Many homes have been demolished and nothing more is left than the concrete sub-floor and a concrete front step. As we are walking to the French Quarter, we hear music coming from bars and watch some sidewalk entertainers. We peek into all kinds of gift and novelty shops. I had said to several that from now on I wouldn't buy any more unnecessary items. Just look what happened next....... We visited with many of the shop owners who told how they were able to open their business within two or three months after the storm. However, business is still not good and there are very few shoppers. I of course, had to help them out a little. I bartered with a gentleman in the French Quarter open market for a Cajun CD for my husband. Then I had to purchase two feather Mardis Gras masks and alligator beads for my grandchildren. It is a whole different world from what we have been in touch with the past few days. It felt good to see things put back together and hear fun music and laugh with each other. We had a wonderful dinner in a quaint New Orleans restaurant. We even enjoyed sharing some alligator sausage. It was a beautiful evening for our entire group. Thank you Lord, we needed that.

Our last day at Crossroads.....

We will finish the home we started on Thurs. with the help from volunteers from Cincinnati. It is raining but no one seems to mind. Everyone works so diligently in the rain. It is hard to breath through the gas mask with the high humidity. The rain makes it harder to empty the wheel barrows. We are finished and everyone is standing across the street under Nancy's front porch. When we were asked who would like to offer prayer, Nancy said she would. She thanked God and all of the volunteers for caring so much to come to help. Tears were coming down her cheeks. We hugged, said goodbye and our vans pulled away down the street. I hope and pray some day to return to find this neighborhood thriving. But, I know it will take many years, many volunteers, and lots of hard work to bring it back.

We shower, pack up, clean our quarters, and climb in our van. Our bodies are tired but mostly our minds are confused and our hearts heavy with mixed emotions about leaving with still so much to be done. What a marvelous outreach that has been set up here!! I'm anxious to tell my story to friends and family; praying that they will tell someone and more groups will want to come down and help like we have. It has been so rewarding to be here. We did help out. We gave them our love and helped where we could. Thank you Lord for my home and all the things I sometime take for granted. Help me to stay calm with the holidays approaching and so many trivial wasteful items available. I feel like, I know................... I have received much more than I gave. Maybe I will return....................... I brought my work boots home.................. and I see them looking at me each day on the shelf.........