Hurricane Katrina Response

We are now in our third year of responding to Hurricane Katrina. Our hurricane relief partners continue to request prayers, volunteers, materials and equipment.

Volunteers are vital to the recovery process along the Gulf Coast. The volunteer camps and communities helped by Orphan Grain Train include Camp Biloxi, Camp Restore (New Orleans), Venice and Houma, Louisiana.

Why do we continue to support the Gulf Coast recovery effort? The answer is that less than half of the affected people are back in their homes. More than 300,000 homes were lost two years ago. The combined destruction of the three hurricanes in late 2005 have brought about the worst domestic disaster since the Civil War, across an area the size of Great Britain.

The following statistics were provided by the LCMS Southern District:

Camp Biloxi, as of Sept. 2007, since Sept. 2005

Homes Restored
Gutted and sprayed for mold: 486
Roofs - Major: 593
Home/Interior major rebuild (>$1000): 1,632
Home/Interior minor rebuild (<$1000): 734

Volunteers
People: 15,248
Hours: 825,100
Value of work (Per FEMA): $16,027,396

Camp Restore, as of Sept. 2007, since Oct. 2006

Homes & Parks
Gutted and sprayed for mold: 285
Yards & Parks: 558
Completed Cases: 85
Active Homes: 23
Active Churches: 4
On hold for plumbing, electrical & HVAC: 126
On file waiting to become active: 592

Volunteers
People: 3,319
Hours: 90,790
Value of work (Per FEMA): $1,623,325

Depending on where you look, the remaining work will take eight to ten years to complete at the current rate of recovery.

John Coyle, Director of Operations in Mississippi for Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response (LSSDR), has been at Camp Biloxi since Hurricane Katrina. The disaster response camp sits next to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Biloxi, Miss. and handles up to 180 volunteers per week. Other camps nearby include Camp Victor in Ocean Springs, Camp Coast Care in Pass Christian and Camp Restore in New Orleans.

"Many good Christian volunteers would help if they knew there was a need," Coyle said. "But, most Americans don't know there still is a need."

More than 17,000 people in Harrison County, Miss. are living in FEMA trailers, 26 months after Hurricane Katrina, waiting for help and resources to rebuild their homes.

Many of the people who lost their homes could not qualify for flood insurance because their home was considered "above" the storm surge flood plain. This is why most homeowners in the Biloxi area did not hold federally backed flood insurance. If they didn't have flood insurance it's likely they will receive insurance coverage for wind damage to their roof, but not for water damages inside the house caused by the storm surge.

The balance needed to rebuild a home comes from personal savings or charitable gifts and limited government grants. Camp Biloxi continues to also maintain a food distribution center for people in the Biloxi area who need assistance after losing their jobs to Katrina. Small businesses--the majority of employers-are not reappearing fast enough to get everyone back in the workforce. As of November 2007, 500 to 600 people per month come to Camp Biloxi's distribution center.

Volunteer opportunities

Volunteer teams who can serve five or more days have the best opportunity to help a family start over. To schedule your team, please call: (228) 594-0008 for Camp Biloxi, and (888) 248-2636 for Camp Restore in New Orleans.

Camp Biloxi website
Camp Restore website