Angels in the Outfield return from Katrina

 

A group of dedicated, hardy souls from Sacramento, California spent two weeks working in D’Iberville, a small town near Biloxi, MI.  Their mission:  to help with the clean-up after Hurricane Katrina.  They were housed in a tent village in a softball field, set up by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA).  They became “angels in the outfield” for the people they worked with.

 

The group was led by the Rev. Garry Cox, Associate Pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church of Sacramento.  His crew was made up of three members and a visitor from the church, plus three people from the homeless shelter the church works with in downtown Sacramento.  The “Loaves and Fishes” shelter sent one of their staff members and two of the homeless guests who proved to be invaluable helpers.  The trip was financed by donations from the church as well as the shelter.

 

 

Rev. Cox went on the PDA website to see how his church could help, and was directed to the tent village in D’Iberville.  They were a part of Village #2, one of five being set up by PDA.  Each day a chaplain led vespers & morning prayers.” Everything we prayed for happened,” a faith-building experience.

 

D’Iberville is a small town located one mile from Biloxi. It had been largely overlooked by relief agencies until PDA got there.  What they saw was “unbelievable,” said Cox.  As they went house to house, mucking them out and carting off ruined appliances and furniture, they heard some moving stories. 

 

 

 

One elderly woman recalled the disaster of Katrina.  Three eight-foot wave surges flooded her home, with water rising to the ceiling.  She crawled into her attic with her small dog to wait out the storm.  A couple living a few doors away were also caught by the storm.  The man’s wife was in a wheelchair, so he lifted her up into a tree and then joined her to ride out the storm.

 

 

 

Bringing the homeless men proved to be a blessing.  Besides being big and strong, they were used to living with next to nothing so were better able to deal with the devastation.  “They taught us a lot about being attached to belongings,” said Cox.  The crew was amazed by the courage of the people they assisted and the quality of support provided by PDA.  They were part of a group of 45 volunteers from all over the country, all of whom were “angels in the outfield.”

 

 

To learn more about how the Presbyterian Church USA is helping those in need in the aftermath of Katrina, visit http://www.pcusa.org/katrina/.