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.
The members of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church from Pacifica, Calif., opened their arms and hearts wide to the people of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina — managing to sweep up many other people in the embrace.
More than five years after Hurricane Katrina, a number of rebuilding organizations have shuttered operations and moved on, despite the fact that this city still has nearly 50,000 blighted homes and numerous near-empty neighborhoods.
For one Presbyterian ministry, there’s still more work to do.
Project Homecoming has helped struggling homeowners rebuild more than 125 homes since its creation in 2007 as a ministry of the Presbytery of South Louisiana and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). As efforts to rebuild New Orleans continue and needs shift, Project Homecoming is going through a sort of rebirth, as it transitions to its own 501(c) (3) nonprofit by the end of this year.