Knox Presbyterian Church (Stratford) post-Katrina Mission Trip

"It is some of the most important ministry work I have ever been involved in." - Rev. Terry Hastings.

Two teams consisting of 20 people altogether from Knox Presbyterian Church in Stratford, ON traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi in mid-November to help in a massive effort by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PCUSA) to help in aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Rev. Terry Hasting, who was a team member, reports that The Presbyterian Church in Canada volunteers brought a spirit of joy and high energy to the volunteers' camp and were much appreciated.

What follows is Rev. Hasting's account of their experience.

A house washed off its foundations by the floodwaters

The two hurricane relief teams from Knox, Stratford (with active participation from St. Andrew's, Stratford and St. Mary's Presbyterian Church just returned from the Mississippi Gulf Coast after ten days. The experience was profound. Moving. Disturbing. Sad. Hopeful. We stayed at one of three volunteer camps organized by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance of the PC USA.

The level of need within the region is immense, and the destruction is unfathomable. Even 11 weeks later, it is mind-boggling to see the situations many people are still living in - and the destruction still evident everywhere. During the last few days we were there, temperatures plunged to freezing each night. This is difficult for people, often living in tents and with too few sleeping bags, who are used to temperatures in the 20s and 30s centigrade.

Our team was involved in what is called first stage reconstruction of storm-damaged houses. Essentially, volunteer work teams strip storm-damaged homes down to the studs, so other teams can eventually decontaminate them of black mould, which allows eventual reconstruction to begin. The process is months long. In Biloxi there are about 5,000 homes severely damaged by the storm surge (a 20- to 30-foot wall of water that swept through the city often covering houses to their roofs), and perhaps 500 or so have been readied for reconstruction so far.

The team I served with opened up three fresh houses. That's the term they use for a house which has not been cleaned out since the storm hit. We are the first to enter the house except for the search and rescue teams which entered weeks ago to search for survivors and recover bodies. Sometimes, the home owners continue to live in their homes simply because they have nowhere else to go and because FEMA has been unable to get a trailer on their site. (On the way down, we passed dozens of trailers being towed to the disaster area).

Graham Gould, stands beside the debris pile pulled out of the house behind him. The mask protects him from the black mould which is pervasive in every home.

Imagine taking everything in your home and putting it in a blender for a few minutes. That's what it is like when you enter a fresh house. Everything is overturned, chaotic, cluttered, debris. Our job was to haul everything -- and I do mean everything -- to the curb for disposal ... clothing, furniture, appliances, rugs, toilets, furnace, water heater, etc. Usually nothing can be saved.

The trickiest part of all this is removing the refrigerator. It is usually lying on its back on the kitchen floor, not having been plugged in or opened for 11 weeks. You can duct tape it shut, tie ropes around it, clamp it shut as best as possible, but as soon as you start moving it, unbelievably gross ooze finds its way out. The stink is truly indescribable. All team members wear N95 masks to protect their lungs from the black mould, but very little can protect you from the smell. (A box of flooded wallpaper rolls we had to move had an even worse aromatic knockout punch).

Once the house is cleared of debris, you start on the walls, ripping away all the dry wall, baseboards, trim, crown moldings and internal doors until the inside of the house is just studs. There may also be the need to remove damaged and fallen trees from their yards. We had to remove three from one yard alone. Then you move on to the next house and start again.

Most teams open one fresh house and finish up a couple of other houses during their week of volunteering. Our first team did one fresh house from start to finish, opened two others (one we had to abandon when we discovered it was structurally unsafe. We could see the great outdoors through the walls which had separated at the corner) and finished up two other houses started by other teams. Our second team did amazing work on three houses in various stages, but avoided any fresh houses.

The most powerful moments come when you meet the owners who will drop by to see how your work is progressing, and who are there to pick up any items you might be able to rescue for them. We saved a ceramic Christmas tree that was over 100 years old. All you have to do is ask them whether they stayed or went during the hurricane, and they will share their story with you. You will hear stories of people standing on kitchen tables for six hours with water up to their necks; or climbing through their ceilings into their attics, and then through their roofs; stories of people being rescued by boats and taken to a house that had two floors. And you hear the stories of neighbours and friends who didn't make it. It is heart-wrenching to stand outside a house with an owner, who is too afraid to walk up his steps to peek inside, and hear him say he has lost his home. And so you work hard to ensure his house is clean, debris-free, and ready for reconstruction. It is all about providing what hope you can to people who have lost everything but their lives.

The two Stratford work teams did amazing work in Mississippi. They brought a lively and energetic spirit to the volunteer camp - filling it with laughter, music, and a sense of possibility. And they brought honour to The Presbyterian Church in Canada and our call to serve.

To any who wish to take a team down to Mississippi, let me say that there is plenty of work left to do? It is worth the effort. And the rewards in spirit are a hundred fold. It is a humbling, awesome experience. We will be going back. And I will be happy to speak to any who wish to go.