Catholic Media Journal

“Are you ready for this?” That’s the question we were asked as we boarded the bus to New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, perhaps the city’s hardest-hit area in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

We were in the Lower Ninth Ward on the last day of our week in Mississippi and south Louisiana to witness first-hand the destruction brought by Hurricane Katrina. A small group of Catholic media professionals traveled from New York, Indiana and Ohio to the Mississippi Gulf coast and New Orleans to meet people affected by the storm and get a personal sense of life following Katrina. Each of us felt the need to have a better sense of life in these areas because it was clear to us that critical needs for support will continue for months, and as we found, years to come.

Like people around the world, we’d seen, heard and read news reports of Katrina’s destruction. But nothing prepared us for the scope of devastation we encountered. Our week was a physical and emotional roller coaster, one that I doubt any of us will ever forget, a week that will help us better tell the stories of people and their needs. A week when we witnessed the strength – and the fragility – of the human spirit. A week when we saw God at work in people’s lives through His Church and His people.

Our week began on Monday, October 31, nine weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana and Mississippi. Half an hour after picking up the last member of our group at the Gulfport, MS, airport, we were standing in the midst of a neighborhood that was no more. Every home had been reduced to rubble – piles of wood, shingles, automobiles that had been totally destroyed by a storm surge almost 30 feet high in some areas – as high as a 3-story house. And this scene was repeated over and over as our host took us to different areas of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Pass Christian, Waveland, Long Beach, Point Cadet, and many, many other areas devastated by Katrina.

There are many areas where structures can be repaired. Water and wind damage wasn’t as strong as in other areas. And there are many homes that received relatively little damage – and from these homes much help and service is being provided.

One of the many things we noticed was the large number of businesses that were closed because of storm damage or the lack of workers who had to leave because their homes were destroyed – or both.

We saw people before and after Mass who asked one another “How are you?” – and really meant it. And people lingered after Mass because it was one the few times many people saw one another since the storm. The parish was a place of community as never before.

Our week included times talking with Church leaders and parish members in Mississippi and Louisiana. We met volunteers and staff members providing services through Catholic Charities and other humanitarian aid organizations. Most importantly, we talked with some of the people affected by the storm.

Was I ready for our visit to the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans? I’ve learned this week that I don’t know what would prepare a person for what we’ve seen. It was a humbling experience to ride in a small bus with residents – former residents – who were seeing their neighborhood – and looking for their former homes – for the first, and probably last, time since they were evacuated. Katrina’s devastation was complete. Although we saw many homes built of brick that were still standing, even those are uninhabitable because they sat is 6 to 8 feet of water for several days. Most of the Lower Ninth Ward is pile after pile of rubble, homes leaning into one another – and homes that are completely gone – even the rubble washed away. The ground is dry and hard, cracked, looking like brown alligator skin dried in the sun. We weren’t allowed off the bus, but the driver stopped several times so the displaced residents could see what, if anything, was left of their homes. At one point, it took some of the now-former residents several minutes to even recognize their street, let alone the remnants of their homes.

In all my life, I’ve never seen devastation like I’ve experienced this week along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans. No picture or video I’ve seen or taken can begin to capture the experience of witnessing first-hand the physical destruction brought by Hurricane Katrina. We remarked time after time that in many places it was like standing in the midst of Hiroshima, without the radiation. Other areas may not have looked as bad, but were impacted nevertheless.

What must it be like for the people whose homes and work have been wiped out? Hundreds of thousands of people are attempting to cope with loss on an unimaginable scale. Thousands of people are serving them, offering what aid they can.

We can’t see, though, what’s happening inside the people affected by this tragedy. Some are in the midst of grieving, others are still in a state of shock. Most people are trying to cope as best they can with their new way of life. The people being served, and their servants, need our prayers and our generosity. And they need us to remember them, especially during the holidays, and in the months and years to come.

The important stories are the people’s, and those are the stories we’ll be telling in future publications and programs. First, though, we need to acknowledge that seeing the physical destruction has made an everlasting imprint on us. We hope to do justice to the people whose lives have been so profoundly affected.

There’s great strength and love being shown in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and I pray this continues. My heart is here and I’m sure I’ll never forget the blessings of experiencing this time and place so affected by Katrina.

Jim Coyle

P.S. On the way home tonight, we flew over a residential neighborhood near the airport in Chicago that was intact – no fallen homes, no debris, no blue tarps covering broken roofs. It honestly looked unusual to me.