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In the Long-term Wake of Hurricane Disaster, a Sense of Gratefulness
Dan Meyers, center, received up to three feet of water in his house. Most of the inside was destroyed and had to be replaced because of mold and sheetrock damage. Meyers and his family had little choice other than to stay in the house.
Photo: Jim Hackbarth for CWS
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GULFPORT, Mississippi -- Recently Mary Ellen Calvert of the Harrison County Long-Term Recovery Coalition--one of numerous local recovery organizations funded by Church World Service in the wake of the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes--was asked, a year later, about her memories of Hurricane Katrina.
Rather than dwell on the disaster itself, Calvert said she’d rather remember the sense of solidarity and friendship that relief and recovery efforts have fostered.
One result of the efforts? Well, go back a year ago. Up to three feet of water damaged the home of Dan Meyers, with much of the interior needing to be replaced due to mold and sheetrock damage. Meyers and his family had little choice but to stay in the house--job considerations made it essential that he and his family do so.
As part of a grant from Habitat for Humanity, CWS helped provide funds to the Harrison County Long-Term Recovery Coalition to rebuild the home--an ecumenical effort that also included the help of the North Carolina Baptist Men.
That's just one sign of support. There are others. For example, the truckers from Minnesota who cut their way through the highway so that supplies and rescue workers could get to stranded communities.
"There was a high school from Pennsylvania that gave up their prom to bring a prom to our kids," Calvert said. "They brought music, food, dresses and tuxedos in trucks and held the prom in a tent.
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| Mary Ellen Calvert, chairperson of the Harrison County Long-Term Recovery Coalition. Jim Hackbarth for CWS |
There was the man from the Midwest who made six trips with his 18-wheeler, which was filled to the top with donations from his hometown.
"There are many stories of people who came to help us and we will never know their names, Calvert said. We will be forever changed and grateful because each and everyone of those people cared enough to come to our rescue, and they will never know what that really did for our children and our families. It is their help that will always mean so much to us!"
Contributions to support the ongoing recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita may be sent to your denomination or to Church World Service, Attn: Gulf Coast Hurricane Recovery, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515. Contributions may also be made by credit card online, or by calling: 800-297-1516, ext. 222.
Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;
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