Posted: 2/20/07
Helping hands in a storm-tossed land
Evangelical Free Church members assist in Katrina-ravaged Louisiana
By Andrew Miller
Interim News Editor
Cleanup efforts continue in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and a contingent of area residents decided it was time to lend a hand.
A 19-person group, made up mostly of members of the Evangelical Free Church (EFCA) in Spring Grove, trekked down to Louisiana in January.
Kimberly Holty, 35, made the trip with her husband Ron and the coupleís kids. She said her decision to help in Louisiana was largely faith-based.
"Ron and I both just felt God calling us, saying this is something we can do to help someone in need," said Kimberly, of Spring Grove.
What greeted volunteers when they arrived in Louisiana was a scene of total devastation.
"Thereís so much to be done," Kimberly said of one of the suburbs of New Orleans she visited.
"The Wal-Mart was empty and gutted, the McDonaldís and Taco Bell were boarded up, the apartment buildings were abandoned, and every window in every building was broken out."
Group members stayed in the EFCA-affiliated Trinity Church outside New Orleans. The church serves as a dormitory for between 50 and 300 volunteers per week.
Kimberly, having to look after her kids, worked in the churchís kitchen, serving food to the volunteers. Other group members found themselves with plenty of outdoor manual labor on their hands.
Half of the volunteers spent the week clearing peopleís yards in the suburbs of New Orleans, removing dead trees and taking out stumps.
Other group members headed to downtown New Orleans to finish the gutting of a two-story house. The task called for workers to tear out the pipes and install a new plumbing system.
Their efforts didnít go unnoticed, and many New Orleans natives had words of thanks for the volunteers.
"One woman said to us, ëYouíre erasing the scars from the storm,í " Kimberly said.
Group members were grateful to the many local businesses and individuals which donated money and supplies for the trip, she added.
And Kimberly said she wouldnít rule out another trip to Louisiana to assist with rebuilding.
"I think everybody should go," she said. "Thereís such a vast number of people that need help and thereís so little thatís being done. Itís gonna be years before itís back to normal."
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