Sept. 6, 2010 issue
Gulf Coast clients praise MDS hurricane response
By Brenda Phillips For Mennonite Disaster ServiceIn conjunction with the five-year anniversaries of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Ike, Mennonite Disaster Service is evaluating its work in the region.
An evaluation team recently spoke with dozens of new homeowners.
“God sent them,” one Louisiana homeowner said, a sentiment echoed along the Gulf Coast. “They are my angels.”
Clients repeatedly said volunteers had helped them start new lives.
“I was immobilized,” said a client. “And then they came, and I felt the burden just slip off my shoulders.”
How do homeowners begin the healing process? Repeatedly, clients talked about volunteers who listened to their stories and were like family.
“It was like a funeral every Friday when the crew would leave,” one client said. “We got so close in those few days.”
Clients noticed how “strangers” came to work with them.
“I had given up, and then the Mennonites came,” a client said. “Now, we are home.”
However, a fractured diaspora lingers in communities along the Gulf Coast, and volunteers are still needed. Many people still live in FEMA trailers.
“Please come back,” a client said. “We are all not home yet.”
Comment on the article Gulf Coast clients praise MDS hurricane response
The purpose of comments is to engage in dialogue. We expect commenters to treat authors and each other as each would want to be treated. Respectful criticism is welcomed; offensive comments or parts of comments will be removed by the site administrator. Name and comment will be posted; email address is for follow-up only and will not be made public.
Download
Download a free PDF showing the populations of
Mennonite groups and other Anabaptists.
