A quiet, unassuming presence inhabits the citizens of New Orleans. Many came as first responders and remained. Still others stayed and reached out to their neighbors. And thousands were members of work teams who rolled-up their sleeves, helped muck-out after Katrina, and continue today to bring their faith and skills to a city on the rebound.
The numbers surrounding Hurricane Katrina are staggering, almost unimaginable. The Aug. 28, 2005 hurricane is responsible for 1,833 deaths. More than half of the people who died in Louisiana were 65-years-old and over. Forty percent of them drowned. More than 134,000 homes in New Orleans—70 percent of occupied units—were damaged or destroyed. Total damages are estimated at $135 billion. More than a million people were displaced from their Gulf Coast homes, over 250,000 from New Orleans alone—half the city’s population.
Seven years after Hurricane Katrina toppled a nearby floodwall and drowned their synagogue, and after a seven-year journey praying in hotel meeting rooms, then in rooms borrowed and rented from another congregation, the 100 or so families of Congregation Beth Israel are finally home.