A number of us from the church will be making the trip to Waveland, Mississippi this weekend to participate in the continuing restoration project led by the people at the Christian Life Center. Although Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast almost four years ago, there is still much rebuilding work to be done there. So, we’re praying that the Lord can use us to make an impact in that community, both in the practical as well as spiritual investments.
When Hurricane Katrina made landfall, it became one of the five deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history. It was the sixth strongest hurricane ever recorded and the third strongest to make landfall in the U.S. Altogether, Katrina caused extensive devastation along much of the north-central Gulf Coast. After making an initial brief landfall in Louisiana, Katrina made its final landfall near the state line, and the eye passed over the cities of Bay St. Louis and Waveland as a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph. Katrina’s power caused a powerful 27 plus foot storm surge, which penetrated 6 miles inland in many areas and up to 12 miles inland along bays and rivers. In some areas, the surge crossed interstate 10 for several miles.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the reports of casualties were overwhelming. 238 people were dead, 67 were missing, and thousands of homes were destroyed. Some of the neighborhoods were battered by such strong winds and storm surge that they were completely leveled. Up to 90% of all the coastland structures were washed away by the storm. Not one single municipal building in Waveland survived Katrina’s fury.
The clean-up began immediately. Along with another church, the Christian Life Center responded first to offer assistance. What began as the intention of a temporary assignment quickly grew into a full-scale assistance and relief center. Before long, thousands of volunteers were coming to work and help in any way that they could. So the Christian Life Center became “ground zero” for the entire operation.
Four years later, they’re still diligently working to provide home repair and restoration, housing, and food for relief workers, and maintaining a clear gospel witness in that community. Camp Katrina, as they call the entity for the volunteer ministry, still has over 250 families seeking some kind of building assistance.
That’s where we come in! We won’t be able to help all of the 250, but we can do our part. Please pray for us as we seek to provide a valuable service to the community of Waveland and hope to share the reason for the hope that is within us. We’re looking forward to jumping in and rolling our sleeves up, as they say.
I would highly recommend other groups to go and volunteer their skills in this way. This is particularly important for those that have construction skills and experience. Since the hurricane hit almost four years ago, people have a tendency to forget the needy folks of those regions. But there are still many very important needs that need people like you and me to meet them for the Lord’s sake.
In the coming weeks, I’ll write a follow-up report of how things went on our ministry trip. In addition to praying for the success of our trip, pray also that we don’t face the threat of another hurricane while we’re there.