2007 Hurricane Katrina Response Report
December 2007 update: More than 40 Orphan Grain Train trailers, bedroom units, shower and restroom units, tool trailers, and other large pieces of equipment are in place at volunteer disaster-response camps Camp Restore in New Orleans and Camp Biloxi in Biloxi, Miss. Over 120 semi loads of supplies and equipment have been delivered to the area .
A mobile bedroom unit is moved into place at Camp Biloxi.
Orphan Grain Train equipment is also in use near Venice, La. where Orphan Grain Train 20-foot-long steel storage units are used as laundry facilities and secure storage for people in the shrimp-fishing trade. Fishermen use their own boats and employ small crews. Their fleets were overturned by Katrina’s fury in 2005, and one by one their boats are being recovered, renovated, and re-launched.
Orphan Grain Train mobile wash houses near Venice, La.
As of December 2007 less than half of the Katrina-affected people were back in their homes. More than 300,000 homes were lost two. The combined destruction of the three hurricanes in late 2005 brought about the worst domestic disaster since the Civil War, across an area the size of Minnesota.
The following statistics were provided by the LCMS Southern District:
Camp Biloxi, Sept. 2005 to Sept. 2007
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, October 2006 to September 2007
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.
“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.”
As of December 2007, more than 17,000 people in Harrison County, Miss. lived 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
To volunteer for Bayou Grace, in southern Louisiana, please contact:
Diane Huhn, Volunteer Coordinator
Bayou Grace Community Services
PO Box 238
Chauvin, LA 70344
985-217-0409 (c)
985-594-5350 (o)
985-594-5358 (f)
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
http://www.bayougrace.org
Orphan Grain Train is always in need of semi and pickup truck drivers with good driving records. If you are in good health and have had a physical exam within the past two years and can pass the mandatory drug tests, please call Mr. Clayton Andrews, Director of Transportation at: (402) 371-9313.
Even with volunteer drivers, the cost of each shipment from Norfolk, Nebraska, to the Gulf Coast averages $2,000 for fuel, food, and lodging.
Donations
Contributions for the Katrina Relief effort and Domestic Disaster Response are critical to sustain this effort. Without the generous donations received over the past three and one-half years, the Katrina relief effort would not exist.
Ways You Can Help
Donate online or by mail
Thank You!
Orphan Grain Train thanks all the volunteer truckers who are hauling relief supplies to Katrina survivors and relief centers on the Gulf Coast.
Thank you to the cash donors who have made it possible for Orphan Grain Train to nearly triple the $375,000 received from Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) World Relief and Human Care. Thank you to all who continue to support this work with additional gifts and volunteer time.
Orphan Grain Train’s name and character are explained by the words of Christ recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 14, verse 18, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”