One of the most encouraging things that the Vision Forum Mission Katrina Team saw was the outpouring of support, enthusiasm and manpower from churches all across the country coming to help their brothers in need. Time and time again they saw churches devastated by the hurricane, rising from their wind tattered, flood destroyed ruins to serve their communities. Even most of the relief workers had lost their homes to the hurricane. It was common to hear “yes, I lost everything to Katrina, but I can’t think about that right now, I’m too busy serving people here”.

It was the churches not FEMA or Red Cross that were spear heading the relief work. It was even the churches in many cases that were feeding FEMA and Red Cross. Some churches had simple systems of distribution with stacks of supplies in parking lots and people filing through to take what they needed. Other churches had highly sophisticated distribution centers with runners, drive through lines, and check box shopping lists. However it was executed, (our team observed) in town after town, the church of Jesus Christ was rising to the call and meeting the needs of a region in chaos.

This church in Slidell was left standing by the wind, but completely ruined inside from the water.

Slidell stunk from dead animals. Tens of thousands of fish from miles away were deposited across the town as in this parking lot and lawn.

When the water receded it also left behind inches and inches of foul smelling, sticky mud that covered everything that the water had touched.

After scraping the mud and dead fish away relief distribution centers were set up.

This church outside of Biloxi, Mississippi has tables overflowing with clothes shoes and other necessities donated from all over the country for the Katrina victims.

In many areas all buildings have been instructed to destroy everything that the flood waters touched in order to be able to legally re-open their doors. Here flood soaked chairs are being disposed of in the parking lot this church.