It’s been nearly 18 months since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region.
To the national media and most Americans, the story is old news as are the ongoing efforts to clean up and rebuild what the storm destroyed.
The outpouring of support in terms of money, material goods and manpower from average citizens seems to have declined as the rest of the country gets on with life and returns to business as usual.
Thank goodness there are volunteers like Judy Cotter who will keep heading south to lend their muscles and sweat as long as help’s needed, as long as there’s a job to be done.
‘Help will be needed for a very, very long time,? said the 65-year-old Addison resident. ‘We can’t forget these people.?
Cotter is preparing to take her third 10-day trip in March to help rebuild Pearlington, Mississippi.
‘I feel fortunate that I can go and do this,? she said. ‘There’s something for everyone to do. I don’t think age matters as long as you’re willing and you’ve got the strength.?
A member of Northminster Presbyterian Church in Troy, Cotter will one of about 140 volunteers on this upcoming trip organized by the Presbytery of Detroit.
‘Our presbytery has committed to going down there for at least five or six years,? she said. ‘We go down twice a year.?
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, a national charity, has a camp in Pearlington, which is located 40 miles east of New Orleans, 25 miles west of Biloxi and 8 miles as the crow flies from the Gulf of Mexico.
An old, isolated and relatively poor hamlet of nearly 1,700 people living on the Lousiana state line in Hancock County, Pearlington was more or less annihilated when Katrina made landfall there on Aug. 29, 2005. The eye of the hurricane made direct contact with the town where the only form of government is the local fire department.
Nearly every home, building and vehicle in the tiny town was destroyed, according to a volunteer with the Coalition of Disaster Relief Agencies in Pearlington (CODRA). A storm surge travelled 4? miles inland to drown what little was left under 12 to 20 feet of toxic stew.
When Cotter made her first trip to Pearlington in March 2006 along with 79 other volunteers from Michigan, she spent most of her time cleaning up debris and ‘mucking? ? removing everything from standing homes that had been closed up for months following the flooding.
Between the rats and the smell, Cotter said it was ‘pretty yucky? work, but it was necessary to determine whether a home was salvagable or had to be demolished.
‘You can see the devastation on the TV, (but) you don’t know devastation until you’re down there and you see it for miles and miles and miles,? she said. ‘It’s 92,000 square miles of devastation.?
On her second trip in November 2006, volunteers spent their time doing drywall work, installing insulation and roofing. An organization called Walls of Hope had erected a number of modular homes and the Presbyterian volunteers came to finish the work that group started. ‘I’m thinking this (third) trip will probably be more of the same ? painting inside, that kind of thing,? Cotter said.
Besides physical labor, the volunteers are also there to provide hurricane victims with emotional support by giving them an outlet to tell their stories, a vital part of the healing process. ‘Listening to the people is equally as important as doing the work,? Cotter said.
One man talked to her for ‘three straight hours,? but she didn’t mind a bit because ‘he needed to.?
‘The thing I find so touching is connecting with the people,? said Cotter, who’s a psychologist with her own private practice in Birmingham and a Registered Nurse. ‘The people down there are so appreciative.?
Overall, Cotter believes her trips to Pearlington have enhanced her life in many positive ways.
‘It’s given me a lot of purpose and meaning,? she said. ‘I get so much more out of it I think than I give. I’ve learned so much about faith.?
One 80-year-old Pearlington resident, Henrietta Barnes, told Cotter, ‘God must have had a plan for this hurricane because (if it hadn’t happened) I wouldn’t have met all these nice people like you.?
‘I started balling,? Cotter said. ‘She’s such a sweetheart.?
The trips have given her a ‘much more positive outlook on things.?
‘I feel much more fortunate for my life and what I have in it,? she said.
Cotter believes many people are hesitant about going down there to do volunteer work because they think they have no skills to contribute or talents to offer
‘People think, ‘what could I do down there? I don’t know how to do this, that or the other,?? she said. ‘But there’s always something somebody can do. And it is an opportunity to learn how to do some things.?
‘They don’t need experts. They just need legions of helpers,? said Cotter, quoting a piece written by a fellow volunteer in another Presbyterian church’s newsletter. ‘That’s true.?
Cotter plans to go on a fourth trip to Pearlington in the fall.
‘I’ll go on as many as I can,? she said.