They were called "Angels of Mercy," "Blessings from God," and they came from all parts of the country without delay offering their time, labor and supplies to assist storm victims who were left with nothing. Some were with charitable organizations, such as the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, etc. Some were with church groups of many diverse denominations. Some had no affiliation but were simply people who saw a need and responded.
Without these brave, generous, self-sacrificing souls - who gave up the comfort of their homes to travel, thousands of miles for some, to the hurricane-ravished Gulf Coast - the aftermath of Katrina would have been far worse. The amount of people in distress after the storm far outnumbered the abilities of local and federal assistance agencies' workers to give everyone help, so all of the volunteers teamed together to pick up the slack, making sure no one in need was overlooked.
The Sacrifices Made by Volunteers for the Benefit of Strangers
Not only did they work tirelessly in the sweltering heat to distribute supplies, remove debris, make needed home repairs, and give support and comfort to storm victims, they then had to sleep in tents and small trailers or on the floors of shelters and churches with no power for weeks on end.
They ate MREs (Meals Ready to Eat - prefabricated packaged food products), took cold showers, used port-a-potties, ruined their personal clothes, broke their personal tools, paid for building supplies out of their own pockets, and gladly did it all for complete strangers.
Being a survivor of Katrina myself, I can testify I would not be sitting here in my rebuilt home typing this article had it not been for the many groups of church volunteers who came to help me. I was the victim of construction fraud, and was forced to use all of my funds to redo structural work I had already paid for in order to pass inspections. This left me with no more money to finish the interior of my home.
Alerted to my situation by the Red Cross, group after group of many different denominations came each week, bringing wood, sheetrock, flooring, interior and exterior paint, nails, caulk, etc. at their own expense and worked on my home for almost 2 months. They completed my home allowing me to get my occupancy permit 6 days before the FEMA trailer I had lived in for almost 4 years was taken away. God only knows where I would have been forced to live once the trailer was gone, if they had not come to my rescue.
However, they were not only my saviors but the saviors of thousands who were left in a sea of destruction and loss with nowhere to turn for help. Due to their enormous altruistic campaign, the benefits reaped by ravished communities across the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast are too numerous to count. To simply say "thank you" is not even close to sufficient for all of the sacrifices they made on the behalf of strangers in need.
The Testimonies of Volunteers Regarding their Experience
The unanimous response by the volunteers regarding their time spent helping the Gulf Coast recover was that it was the most rewarding experience of their lives. Many stated the value placed upon their work after the storm by the people they helped paled in comparison to the value it had upon them. Most felt they would never look at their own lives the same way again.
For some, the experience brought a newfound appreciation for all of the things in their lives they had previously always taken for granted, such as running water, electricity, hot showers, home-cooked meals, clean clothes, and especially - air conditioning!
For others, the fellowship they experienced with members of their church and other denominations, along with the gratefulness of victims they helped, strengthened their spiritual commitment like nothing they had ever before encountered.
Some said being a part of such a huge altruistic effort gave them a sense of true self-worth when they witnessed first hand how the contribution of one person - themselves - truly does made a difference. Others said that the realization their presence and their work would never be forgotten by all the people they helped gave them a sense of personal pride and accomplishment unequalled in their lives.
All agreed they would not trade the experience for anything, and many vowed to return as soon as they could as many times as they could until all of the work needed was finished.
The Volunteer Recovery Work Continues 5 Years Later
August 29th, 2010 marks the five year anniversary of the Katrina catastrophe, and volunteers continue to come from all parts of the country and all walks of life, carrying on the still needed work of rebuilding homes for people unable to pay for the labor and building materials on their own.
Others have chosen to uproot their lives and move to the coast to join the work forces of local and federal agencies in the ongoing efforts to rebuild schools, libraries, businesses and other public buildings that were destroyed .
To conclude, these types of selfless acts by strangers for the benefit of strangers are not exclusive to the Hurricane Katrina disaster on the Gulf Coast. Every natural disaster in the country, and even around the world, is responded to by charitable organizations and truly benevolent souls dedicated to giving without hesitation or compensation. May God bless them all!
Sources:
The author was present during Hurricane Katrina, remained on the Mississippi Gulf Coast throughout the aftermath until present day, and draws the information presented here from personal experience.
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