I watched with horror as hurricane Katrina raged over the gulf coast. Awe and sadness overwhelmed me in the aftermath as I followed news coverage of the plight of the people; promises of clean-up, restoration and rebuilding failed to meet the overwhelming need of residents, businesses, neighborhoods, cities and the devastated environment. My husband and I did what we could to support the relief effort in donations of cash and goods. Yet given the enormity of the disaster, our contribution seemed too small. I wanted to do more but decided to wait until the recovery process was organized and moving forward before heading south to participate in the clean-up. My anger grew along with despair as I followed news media accounts of recovery efforts floundering in a sea of bureaucracy, political posturing, and, mishandled relief funds and goods. \r\n\r\nIn the Spring of 2006, my church offered an opportunity to participate in a mission trip to the gulf coast with several teenage youth and adults from our parish. I was eager to help and volunteered. We drove to Kiln, MI, in late June. As our caravan completed the 90 miles from Mobile to Kiln, we noticed horrible devastation to the environment….wetlands with little birdlife, boats listing in strange locations, trees snapped off, dead vegetation with some new, fresh green vegetation starting through. Many piles of debris not yet collected…everywhere. We learned later that MOUNTAINS of debris 2 and 3 stories high had been hauled out (to where ???) by the Army Corps of Engineers. And yet, we could see that there was still much more debris to remove….\r\n\r\nAs we drove through residential Kiln neighborhoods that had been razed, our campers suddenly became quiet…evidence of a home might be only a mailbox or a set of brick steps leading nowhere. We noticed a huge plywood sign on one, spray painted with the words, “State Farm Sucks”. Our group sat on the beach with a picnic lunch purchased at a Subway ten miles away in Gulfport (no restaurants had reopened in Kiln since Katrina). We looked out at dozens of pilings that led to nowhere and ate next to a sign that warned “NO Swimming—Dangerous Debris”. We took pictures and returned to camp. \r\n\r\nCamp was in disarray because we (about 80 volunteers in our Work Camp) had been scheduled originally for Pascagoula, MI, and moved to Kiln the week before departure. We learned that our host church in Pascagoula had pulled out at the last minute…tired of having their facilities used and (in some cases) abused by volunteers. PEOPLE ARE TIRED….and some SICK AND TIRED after almost a year of clean-up. \r\nThe ‘drill’ was up at 6:30; breakfast at 7; pack lunches and attend morning prayer + announcements….then truck to our job sites….to gut residences, rebuild residences, or help out at the food distribution center where food, toiletries and some household products were given to local residents. 2 crews witnessed a good deal of bartering at the distribution center and also reported to local authorities apparent skimming of goods for resale. Water was in short supply so we were asked to stick to 3 minute showers (not easy in a climate of 90-100 degree days!). During evening debriefing sessions, we heard the wrenching and sometimes miraculous stories of many local residents\r\n\r\nMy work team was a diverse group of 6 who hailed from MI, PA, VA, IN and FL;\r\nwe worked well together, balancing time spent with our resident Judy Necaise and time ‘on task’. In four short days, we…\r\n• Helped Judy with feelings of being overwhelmed and not knowing what to do next…\r\n• Helped Judy feel better about accepting help \r\n• Listened individually and as a group to Judy’s story and in doing so, became friends ( We hugged and cried at the end of our last work day)\r\n• Ripped out moldy, rat-infested insulation from the Kitchen, LR, Bath and BR of Judy’s trailer\r\n• Organized trash for disposal at dump\r\n• Piled downed tree limbs and branches for pick-up\r\n• Installed rolls of new insulation\r\n• Replaced plywood walls and ceilings\r\n• Painted much of living/kitchen area\r\n• Repaired the little garden with pond that Judy has in her front yard (guess who?), only to have it partly destroyed again by her pesky pack of dogs\r\n• Befriended Judy’s menagerie: Eddy the daschound (appeared after the storm), 2 cockatiels (found one sitting on a gas pump down the road after the storm), Rafitte (parakeet), and 3 other dogs including a blind and deaf toy poodle named Gismo. Before the storm, Judy had owned the parakeet and toy poodle. Katrina brought her the other animals. \r\n• Survived the heat from mid-90’s to over 100\r\n\r\nI learned some interesting facts about the area back at camp in conversations with other adults and from the coffee shop owner across the street.\r\n\r\n• The storm surge on the coast was close to 30’ and flooding at our camp\r\n ( about 5 miles from coast) was 5-6’.\r\n• E-Coliform count measured in soil and bodies of water was 7 times the norm after the storm ( we had been warned ahead that the ground is still toxic)\r\n• In early days following Katrina, NO birdlife observed\r\n• Katrina brought storm surge, a hurricane, AND tornado damage (torqued signs and roofing still visible, like twisted pieces of public art)\r\n• NO Cats –either alive or dead—were found in the devastated area (presumed that a special sense prompted them to leave before the storm hit)\r\n• FEMA trailors stood unoccupied because there were insufficient numbers of certified plumbers and electricians to hook them up properly. \r\n• Most of the reconstruction and repair to homes and businesses has been accomplished by volunteers. I spoke with one adult who had spent his vacation time at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and this June doing a variety of tasks on work teams in Kiln, Pascagoula and New Orleans.\r\n\r\nIn addition, the utilities are still under repair….you see utility and bucket trucks everywhere; there are an unbelievable number of properties with nothing on them, or, only a small temporary trailer. Some of our camp went to New Orleans on our last day to see the devastation there…I don’t think I could have handled it, given all we had seen.\r\n\r\nThere is so much more work to be done EVERYWHERE, and it is volunteers like you and me who can make a difference….for information about Work Camps, Inc., go to\r\nwww.GroupWorkcamps.com .The residents of Kiln are rebuilding. Pray for them!\r\n