Goodwood Disaster Relief Full Report

I wanted to give you more complete report of some of the things that have been taking place at Goodwood since late August when Katrina came ashore. The Goodwood congregation is like a lot of other congregations. We enjoy fellowship and worship and try to help others on a daily basis. Yet a great opportunity has opened to aid others who are in great need and ultimately to help share Christ with them in this time of difficult transitions. On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina struck and initially many thought that the greater New Orleans area had managed to hold up well under the massive storm. I remember receiving word from the school that I attend in New Orleans that classes were tentatively scheduled to resume the following Tuesday, September 6. But within a few hours a few levees in New Orleans gave way and the rest is history. Many evacuees had headed east and were trying to make their way back to New Orleans only to discover that much of their personal property was underwater. Many others were in New Orleans and were trapped or fleeing from the flooding city. Baton Rouge is about 80 miles to the west of New Orleans and immediately our community began to be swamped by those seeking relief and shelter.

Around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 30 the leadership of the Goodwood congregation determined to use our fellowship hall as a temporary shelter for 100 evacuees. Late in the afternoon with no one in our shelter, we determined to call a talk radio station that is broadcasted in New Orleans and Baton Rouge to tell them we had room for 100 evacuees. Within 30 minutes of being on the radio we had over 130 evacuees and later that evening turned away several bus and car loads packed full of people and possessions. Several of our members responded quickly by emptying their refrigerators and freezers (the power was out and it was beginning to thaw anyway) and began cooking it to feed our guests. Over the next 31 days we would provide tens of thousands home cooked meals to individuals with help from several area congregations and volunteers from the community along the way.

We learned several lessons in the early days of the shelter. First, we learned that we needed to organize into shifts. We began having men volunteer for shifts from 9:00 p.m. -2:00 a.m. and from 2:00 a.m. until 7:00 a.m. We also hired an off duty police officer to help us protect our guests in the evenings. Many congregations from Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina, Colorado, and other states sent groups to aid us in sorting goods and helping our guests.

Secondly, we needed a record of who was in our shelter. We devised a lanyard system where every guest was assigned a number to which we could match their personal information. When a guest left the shelter we would take their numbers and give them to those who would fill their spots. Using an excel spreadsheet we were also able to answer questions for the many people who called our building looking for family members. The record included names, addresses, phone numbers, and birthdays for everyone in the shelter. It was a way to not only know who was in our shelter, but also try to offer them the most opportunities to locate family and friends from whom they were separated.

Third, we needed to maintain good hygiene and medical care. Several of the men of the congregation constructed showers near the outside of our shelter. For the first few days we only had one shower and with 150 people had to take 5-minute showers in shifts. Showers began at 8:00 a.m. with the last shower of the day scheduled at 9:45 in the evening. Tables with soap, shampoo, towels, and other hygienic products were at the showering facility. A drainage system was installed to prevent pools of dirty water from pooling in an area near the guests. Within a week we had two showers with changing rooms attached so that we no longer had to manage the five minute shower rotation. Members of our congregation in the medical field volunteered in the mornings and evenings to see the guests in our makeshift clinic. Medical records were kept, medicines were kept locked in a closet and prescribed, with daily reports sent to the area Red Cross who was monitoring the health status of those staying in local shelters. We provided transportation for several dialysis patients and others needing medical attention, food stamps, or other aid.

Fourth, we needed to provide communication systems to give our guests the maximum number of opportunities. We subscribed to the local newspaper so that those in the shelter could read up on the news and look for work in the classifieds. We installed two computers with internet so that guests could register with FEMA, look for loved ones, housing, jobs, or check their e-mail. We posted a bulletin board in the shelter with information regarding housing, work, and other opportunities.

Fifth, we needed to distribute supplies to those in the community that we could not house. Many people in the Baton Rouge area have had 15-35 people staying in their homes and have needed help with supplies. We have readily given away several semi-truck loads of food, water, toiletries, cleaning supplies, bedding, clothing, toys, baby products, plywood, gasoline, and other financial assistance. We have also paid travel expenses for several individuals that we have either flown or bused to family or churches in other parts of the country. We continue to take and distribute these supplies on a daily basis. We have a stockpile of clothing and truthfully have a harder time giving it away, but all of your donations are very much appreciated.

Sixth, and most importantly, we needed to share our faith with the guests. Our youth group pitched in and helped entertain the children in the evenings. Our Mother’s Day Out program took in around 12-15 of the young children housed in our shelter and taught them about Jesus. All of our Bible classes and worship services were left open to the guests and many of them attended. I remember the first Sunday after the shelter opened and how all but about 10 of those in the shelter attended and participated. I watched as they sang and bowed their heads. I saw their attentiveness during the sermon. I even watched as some of them took the change out of their pockets and put it in the plates when the collection was taken. Many of us dressed down as our guests did not have “church clothes” to help them feel welcome. I talked with one man who came up to me after the sermon and began asking lots of questions. He asked, “Where are the instruments?” I smiled and tried to explain that we had all brought our own instruments that God Himself gave us by simply singing with our lips from the heart. He asked, “Where is the choir?” I smiled and explained that the whole church is a “choir” in that we all sing and participate in praising God in song. After several more questions he looked at his wife and said, “This church is different. This is the New Testament church!”

There are many, many stories of friendships made and moments had that we will never forget. The Cornelius Brown family is one of those. Cornelius and his girlfriend Naomi had been together for some time. They had evacuated from New Orleans and taken their six kids with them and brought them to our shelter. Immediately we grew to love them and study with them. On Saturday, September 10 Cornelius and Naomi were married and the groom was baptized after the wedding. He said that he wanted to make a commitment to God by being baptized for the forgiveness of sins on the same day he made a commitment to Naomi. People from the community donated beautiful dresses and a tuxedo and a cake and it was a beautiful service. The following Monday we flew the Brown family to San Diego, CA where they were greeted by cameras who had somehow learned of their story at the airport. Naomi was interviewed and talked about how the church of Christ had changed their lives and helped them so much. Before leaving Cornelius handed me the keys to his flooded house, car, and everything else he had known and said, “I won’t be needing these anymore.” As I wept I thought about all the good things that Katrina has brought.

We have had four baptisms as a result of the shelter. There are others with whom we are still studying. We have had one wedding and there are other couples with children that are considering making the right kind of commitment before God to be one in marriage. The Goodwood congregation has also been blessed. We have made friends and been reminded of what really matters in life. We have been blessed by the generosity of so many people, both from individuals and congregations, who have given of their time, money, donations, and prayers. I remember receiving a simple letter from a little boy written in crayon. It said “to help.” Inside was three one dollar bills. His mother wrote and explained that it was his allowance money and that she had promised him he could send it “to help.” Congregations have set goals to contribute and had record contributions because people’s hearts have been touched.

The opportunities continue to come. Just last week Hurricane Rita has ravaged those to our west. On September 22 we evacuated our shelter because of threats in our area and moved our remaining 30 guests to Magnolia Bible College in Kosciusko, Mississippi. We have continued to aid them and try to help them find permanent housing and employment. All of those who once were in our shelter have now found more permanent housing. To date we have helped find housing for about 150 people and processed over 200 individuals. We have passed out over 100 Bibles to both those in the shelter and those who have come to us for aid. We have helped to reunite about 20 families who were separated during Katrina. With Rita’s destruction in Western Louisiana and Eastern Texas, a lot of wounds have been reopened and some have new needs that have not yet been met. Although we have moved out of the temporary housing phase, we are still seeking the best ways to use the funds sent to aid those who are suffering, especially those of the household of faith. Just this week the leaders of the Goodwood church have made trips into New Orleans to meet with church leaders and determine how we can best assist them in this time of tragedy. We have already begun to support evangelists and missionaries that would lose support because those who were paying their salaries are no longer able to do so.

Report on Several New Orleans Congregations

On Thursday, September 29, George Lyles (one of our elders) and I visited as many congregations as possible in the New Orleans area with the help of members of the Hickory Knoll congregation. We checked on several church properties and visited with church leaders in the area. The Hickory Knoll congregation sustained serious roof damage and is in the process of restoring their facility. Due to the loss of their facility it is difficult for them to serve as a distribution center at this time. We are thankful that most of their members have been accounted for and that they are doing everything they can to aid others in the New Orleans area. The DeGaulle Drive congregation sustained minor structural damage. Most of their members faired well during the storms. Only two or three of their family units sustained serious property loss. Four congregations sustained serious damage to their buildings. Crowder Boulevard, Louisa Street, the Village Square church in Chalmette, and Carrollton Avenue were all four badly flooded when the levees broke. The neighborhoods in which these congregations are located were also destroyed. Windows were blown in and as the waters receded church property was washed away with it. At Crowder Blvd. the glass lobby was washed away and all the pews were washed to the far end of the auditorium. Bibles, tapes, and office supplies littered the parking lot. At Louisa Street mud and water still fill the floor. Dry wall was washed away and only frames are left. The Carrolton Ave. and Chalmette congregations were still inaccessible at the time of our visit due to continued flooding. Reports of damage in these communities are also extensive. The Elysian Fields congregation seems to have faired well. Their basement was badly flooded but the auditorium and facilities upstairs seem to have minor flood damage. We also visited with members of the Hollywood Road church of Christ in Houma, LA and the South Terrebonne church of Christ in Montegut, LA while in New Orleans to assess their needs at this time. It seems that in this initial stage many congregations are trying to locate members and make the best use of their facilities to aid everyone in their respective communities, especially those of the household of faith.

Over the past month many members of these congregations have visited us in Baton Rouge. We have been in contact with individuals from every one of the above mentioned congregations. At this point many of the congregations in New Orleans are just now beginning to get an accounting of their members and return to the New Orleans area. Much of the city is uninhabited and abandoned. At Goodwood we are planning to use our hurricane relief funds to help these churches in the long-term. We are contacting church leaders to begin paying the salaries of evangelists in the New Orleans area so that we can insure that they will stay in the area. We are contacting leaders to pick up support of mission efforts that were supported by these congregations so that those in the field will be able to continue serving even with the loss of income from their sponsoring congregations. We are picking up “building notes” for those that were still making payments on their properties so that they will continue to be able to meet in the locations they are in if they choose to do so. All of these things will be affected by the loss of contributions from large sections of the membership who are either not coming back to the New Orleans area or are temporarily displaced. We also plan to stay in contact with local leaders and when able to go to the New Orleans for hands on relief efforts in helping to clean out and rebuild the homes of church members that we not totally lost. We are “adopting” several Christian families in the devastated areas to help them rebuild. Although several months have passed since Katrina, we are just now beginning to see congregations reforming in the New Orleans area. This will be a long process that will take years to complete. Please continue to pray for and contribute to these efforts as souls will be reached in this time of great transition. As information is made available to us and the funds continue to be used we will make that information available to you. Thank you for what you have done already. To God be the glory.

Doug Burleson, preacher

Goodwood Blvd. church of Christ

dougburleson@bellsouth.net