With two groups returning from aiding in relief services of Hurricane Katrina, North Oakland Disaster Relief Team (NODRT) hopes to drum up the volunteers to return in February.
The first group of 16 area volunteers back after a trip from Oct. 22-30 worked just east of where the eye of Katrina hit. Their work for the most part focused on Ocean Springs, Mississippi, according NODRT’s Stan Garwood.
‘People and money are the biggest needs right now down there,? said Garwood, who thinks a February trip is possible if more community members volunteer. ‘We did get three people to sign up at our booth in the Business Expo (Nov. 3).?
According to Garwood, the trip is relatively inexpensive, with volunteers really only needing money for meals and lodging during the trip to and from Mississippi. Food and lodging at the site were provided at a FEMA camp.
The group stayed at ‘Camp Vancleave? in a large tent holding about 150-175 people sleeping on cots. Port-a-johns were available and portable shower trucks were also provided.
‘The food was really good and we had lots of it,? said Garwood. ‘The first night I hardly slept because the wind was howling and the tent’s metal infrastructure was rattling. It was cold because the heater was not working.?
Even though NODRT worked on several other flood damaged areas in previous years, the destruction impacted members.
‘It was almost a surreal feeling. Even though you see it with your eyes, it takes a while to absorb it. It took me about a week after until I could talk about it without crying,? said Kathy Garwood.
During the trip, Stan Garwood recalls a drive the group took along the Gulf of Mexico.
‘The van was silent as we drove through it ‘All the jobs linked to tourism are gone,? said Stan, who described the flattened strip that used to burgeon with visitors and business.
‘It was devastating and very solemn. Even to look at pictures now brings that mood back. It’s hard to see people’s lives completely scattered about? People’s belongings are still hanging in trees and some buildings look like toothpicks stacked and crumbled,? said Mary Schulte.
‘This was the worst devastation we’ve ever seen and it impacted the most people. It was very overwhelming to the people. Normally (in floods) they don’t lose everything,? said Garwood.
The raw power of the storm was demonstrated by such sights as a 70-foot shrimp boat, resting on land 100 feet from any water.
‘When we were working on a house, a neighbor was telling a story about a sister on the coast who had a house built on stilts. She said the water surge was 32 feet high and wiped out the house and took it into the ocean,? said Kathy Garwood.
NODRT worked from a distribution center of Christus Victor Lutheran Church. Members of the group worked at a variety of tasks including cutting down trees, removing debris and in the distribution center.
Typical work at a residence included removing the furniture and belongings of people and shoveling mud from the rooms. Most of the drywall in some of the houses was pulled down due to mold.
‘We had to wear masks because of the black mold in the house and bacteria in the mud,? said Garwood. ‘There wasn’t much to save in any of the houses because of the mold and mildew.?
While working alongside the owner of one house, Stan Garwood asked why he would build in the area.
‘He said because it’s usually high enough to sustain any hurricane? We’ve never seen anything like that before,? said Garwood.
According to Garwood, the worst house still standing that they worked on was in D’Iberville, Mississippi.
‘That house had 12 feet of water in it and we knew because of debris stuck to the wall and on the cathedral ceiling. There was four to six inches of mud on the floor and water in the light fixtures hanging from ceiling,? he added.
While Schulte said the work was gratifying, she expressed the need to increase efforts over the long-term to help the many people still overwhelmed by the hurricane as they move forward.
‘What we were doing needs to be multiplied by a million. There’s so much more to do. We can’t think of this as a band-aid,? said Schulte. ‘We have a lot more to do as a country. This is too big for them to do alone.?
NODRT is a coalition of churches, businesses, organizations and individuals of North Oakland County. Anyone 18 or older is welcome.
Those interested in donating to NODRT or going on a future trip should call 248-625-3123.