By Sharon Nelson, Youth Director

Christ United Church of Christ, Orrville, Ohio

Written for United Church News, August/September 2008 Edition

Why are you going down there? 

They’re still cleaning up? 

Will there be enough work for all of you?

The fourteen youth and four adults from Christ Church in Orrville heard these and similar questions as they prepared for a week of work in Biloxi, Mississippi in late Spring, 2008.

People have read stories of Back Bay Mission and the work being done on campus with their rebuilding efforts, but what about the rest of the city? How are people coping with their own difficulties?  Here are two typical stories.

Williams Family

The Williams family—father and mother, daughter and grandchildren—evacuated just before Katrina came ashore. Their one-story cement blockhouse sits between the Mississippi Sound and Back Bay. The water was pushed from both directions. As the water rose, the next-door neighbors, who had decided to stay, climbed to the roof of their two-story house. They saw the Williams house disappear under the tidal surge.

When Mr. Williams returned three days later, the water had receded, but everything that had been inside the house was out and everything that should have been out was inside.

All of their household belongings are now contained in large totes stacked in the backyard. Nearly three years later the FEMA trailer still sits in his front yard. The interior of the house is finished. There is a new roof. Our group put new paint on the exterior.

The family is waiting for the city to grant an occupancy permit so that they can take a step toward normalizing their lives.

Michael and his mother

Michael’s mother lives near Back Bay Mission. Six feet of water in her home destroyed everything; however, the insurance company awarded only $6,000 as reimbursement for losses.

A FEMA trailer sits in the front yard, but it is used only to store what few belongings were saved from the waters. She chose to live in a hotel until repairs are completed.

Michael returned to Biloxi to rebuild his mother’s home. Most of the labor has been his, but Back Bay has recently been able to help. Michael and Mom are waiting for the city to issue their occupancy permit. Our group painted decks and porches and removed the ramp to the trailer.

Why stay? Michael’s father was in the Air Force, stationed at Keesler AFB, near Biloxi. A large contingent of retirees have stayed for the health care provided by the base and the old friends who comfort each other.

The large homes along the shore are slabs of cement. Several churches that had beach frontage are gone. Small shops and restaurants were destroyed. Debris still washes onto the beach. But there is hope.

The casinos, with all of the adverse publicity that surround them, have put people back to work and have brought tax dollars to the city. People continue to rebuild even after three years of struggle. The city topped a half-dozen dead oak trees along U. S. 90 so that the remaining trunks could be transformed into sculpted works of art.

We met and worked with church groups from Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. These are the folks who are going to put Biloxi, New Orleans and the towns in between back on their feet. It will be a long process, but with your help it can be done.

Interested?  It doesn’t have to be a group—wherever two or more are gathered…