By Linda Raff
Katrina began for me with the evacuation of my daughter and her family and their friends from New Orleans.  With 80 mile hour winds howling and trees swaying and finally one uprooting around our 100 year-old-house, we tried to settle in and ride out the storm.  I went from room to room peering out windows to make sure we could escape if a tree began to fall in on the house.  With two babies in the house it was a harrowing experience.
Having stayed up all night, I gathered my strength and began to focus on Catholic Charities and how we could mobilize our resources for what would surely be the most challenging event in our history.  I can still feel how strange it felt to drive down State Street, deserted and with winds still howling.  Sister Donna Gunn and I were the only arrivals.  We discussed her role as disaster coordinator and scratched our heads a bit to determine just what that entailed.
With few resources initially, we determined manning the phones was the immediate priority.  Calls began to come in from all over the country offering goods and services as well as calls from evacuees from the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coast. Because Jackson experienced high and sustained winds, power outages occurred all over the city.
Trees were down and many homes suffered significant damage.  The needs of Jackson citizens were great to say nothing of the evacuees.  Staff began to trickle in and answer the constantly ringing phones.  Mountains of supplies were announced to be on their way.  Hundreds of individuals and families needed these supplies so how to connect the goods with the people was the new priority.
Answering the call, long term saintly Governance Council member, Roger Vincent, located a warehouse in what is now New Horizons International Church.  He and Sr. Donna oversaw the stocking of the warehouse until we were able to hire a warehouse manager.  The supplies that were donated from all over the country were connected with thousands of individuals and families, many who had lost everything, many with significant damage to their homes, and many who did not know how their homes and property had faired.
Staff began to travel south to hard hit communities with basic supplies such as food, clothing, and cleaning supplies.  They accessed communities that no one else had reached. Sr. Donna actually spent the night in her office so that she was accessible 24 hours for a period during the initial phase.
Msgr. Elvin Sunds and I traveled to the coast to meet with the Diocese of Biloxi to determine if we had supplies that could help with their needs.  We toured the area and even though we had seen television coverage, nothing prepared us for the complete and utter destruction the coast had endured.
We drove from church to church and thru neighborhoods both rich and poor.  All had endured significant damage.  How could the poorest state in the country survive such a disaster, especially as it welcomed so many from New Orleans and surrounding area who had experienced equal if not greater damage?  How could immediate needs be met?
As it turned out, the generosity of people from all across the nation brought help and hope to so many answering the immediate needs of those with little or nothing.  Bishop Joseph Latino, bishop at that time, immediately established a second collection for victims and Catholic Charities began to distribute funds for rental assistance, food, utilities, etc.  New Orleans began to flood so there was a continual wave of people fleeing the rising waters.
My daughter and family and friends headed north to Senatobia, my son’s home, since we lost power and since they could not get back into their flooded city.  My daughter’s mother-in-law did not leave New Orleans before the storm so we had no word from her and remained concerned for two weeks as to her whereabouts.  Her house flooded and she was rescued from the roof of her house and deposited on an over pass with no food or water for several days.  She was ultimately evacuated to a small town in Texas and served by a small Baptist Church.  She was finally able to fly into Little Rock, Arkansas and join the family in Senatobia.
With mounting numbers of evacuees seeking relief from Catholic Charities, it was freeing to know that the family was all alive and well and temporarily located in a safe environment, with lights, water etc.  Catholic Charities, USA, our national membership organization, began to solicit donations nationwide and very soon had a large sum of money to grant to the gulf states.  Catholic Charities applied and received over one million dollars to help with short term as well as long term recovery efforts.
During this initial period Catholic Charities hosted a weekly meeting of all voluntary organizations that came to the area to offer assistance.  It was helpful to identify the groups; however, very few had tangible goods to offer.
There was much advice and some volunteer teams were available for repairing houses.  In addition, staff daily checked on all the evacuees that were housed at the Coliseum.  Finding pregnant women and seniors sleeping on the floor was alarming.  Upon hearing this need, St. Dominic Hospital supplied foam mattresses until cots could be secured.
The generosity of St. Dominic’s and other institutions greatly aided in the short and long term recovery efforts of Catholic Charities and other organizations.  With local help as well as the grant form Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Charities was able to hire long term recovery staff that distributed monetary aide and offered case management and clinical services over a five year period.
Thousands of families and individuals were given help and hope and were aided in their recovery.  The generosity of so many gave Catholic Charities the blessing of carrying out its  mission of being a visible sign of God’s love for all people at one of the most vulnerable times in the history of the Diocese.
(Linda Raff is the outgoing executive director of Catholic Charities, Jackson and a member of the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle.)

By Sr. Donna Gunn
When I was asked to write this article on the 10th anniversary of Katrina, my mind flooded with memories- memories of loss and devastation and inspiring memories of “heroes.”  So many faces and voices.  It was a time of my heart being torn by sadness and in the next moment inspired with hope.  I saw the kind of deep faith that surges when all else is taken away.
The Diocese of Jackson took in a quarter of a million survivors coming from the Coast and New Orleans.  I felt then and I feel now immense pride in how the diocese, parishes and faith filled individuals responded.
When I teach Catholic social teachings, I often begin with the reflection: “For whom do you weep?” Our response to Katrina was an evident sign that we weep with the most vulnerable, the lost, the lonely and the afraid.  I’m sure many of you can remember weeping, listening to the stories and being present to the fragile and broken.
For me it all began the day after Katrina when Linda Raff, executive director of Catholic Charities reminded me that one of my jobs was to be the diocesan disaster relief director – admittedly one who knew nothing about disaster relief.
Thus began a journey like no other. Linda Raff began attending daily meetings with other service providers to discuss what needed to be done, possibilities of collaboration and discussions of how to avoid duplicating efforts. Martha Mitternight was doing the same in the Catholic Charities satellite office in Natchez.  (Natchez doubled in size and some of our people had as many as 30 guests in their home.)
Catholic Charities staff  were told to make the huge number of calls asking for help their first priority.  We heard from people in towns near Hattiesburg who were trapped without food or water.  Our staff went to Wal-Mart and brought a truck load of needed supplies to that parish.  Thus began a delightful partnership with  Father Tommie Conway and the Diocese of Biloxi.
We would continue to send supplies down which were then distributed from tents pitched on the parish grounds.  When roads opened, they would direct some of those supplies directly to the coast. Remember, most communications were shut down, most cell phone towers destroyed. There was such devastation on the coast that much of the land was flat and barren. Only the Gulf would give anyone their bearing.  When I visited the main street of one of the coastal towns all I found standing was the cement bank vault.
Gradually as Linda attended daily meetings, two priorities for Catholic Charities became evident, emergency assistance and long term recovery.  Emergency assistance was particularly needed, especially as other agencies had limited or no funds to provide certain kinds of assistance.  We were able to set these priorities because we were the recipient of funds from a national Catholic Charities USA disaster collection, the largest in the national organization’s history.  We were blessed to be able to respond where others could not.
Supplies were coming in from all across the country.  Distributing those supplies had to be a priority. With the help of Roger Vincent, then the chair of the Catholic Charities board, we opened a warehouse.  For a long time, goods were just being stored in that warehouse because survivors had no place to put these goods.  After several complications, the largesse of good local businessmen and a wonderfully provident God, we were able to move the supplies into a recently closed grocery store which had left behind all the shelving and grocery carts.
Moving the supplies and setting things up like a department store would have been impossible without all the wonderful volunteers, many of whom where immigrant women the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry helped to transport. The folks coming and finding household supplies, clothing and toiletries is only a part of my memory.  I can still hear the delighted yelps in the aisles as neighbors met neighbors long thought missing or dead.  The warehouse became a refuge and a place of reconnection.
When I think of the warehouse, I have memories of the diocesan school office who, under the direction of Sister Deborah Hughes, made sure all the donated desks, texts, library books and school supplies were distributed to the schools in the most affected areas and to our schools in the diocese who were taking in tuition free those children Katrina had displaced.
About five years later, I was giving a mission talk at a parish in New Orleans. A couple introduced themselves as having moved up to Jackson in Katrina’s aftermath.  The woman had tears in her eyes and said they could never thank the Jackson Diocese enough for how it “saved” their children’s lives by taking them into a school and sustaining some sense of normalcy after the family had lost everything.
As Linda attended those daily meetings, the need for long term recovery case management services kept surfacing. All the agencies were responding to immediate needs, but who was there to journey with these survivors over the long haul and to help them re-create new lives?  Catholic Charities was the only agency to open a long term recovery office.  Social workers began case management helping clients set direction and long term goals; apply for FEMA; find housing and jobs; helping them re-locate with family, etc.  The Natchez satellite was doing the same and gradually, satellite offices were opened in Lincoln and Pike Counties.  The long term recovery office referred clients for counseling and mental health services.
So, this is a summary of my memories of some what we did – not complete by far.  For me, the 10th Anniversary of Katrina is an opportunity to look back and reflect on ourselves.  For whom did we weep?  What’s happened to them?   Have they been able to rebuild their lives and find hope again?  Widows and widowers know that grieving is a long process, not done in a year or two.  Let us pray for all Katrina survivors and hope that after 10 years they have found themselves again.
As a diocese, I believe the 10th anniversary of Katrina is a time to celebrate church. It was obvious during Katrina that we all belonged to something bigger than ourselves. There were the phone calls coming from around the country saying, “We are your brothers and sisters.  How can we help?”  Supplies pouring in with notes, “We want to share our blessings with you.” College students arriving en masse enthusiastic about using their gifts and youthful energy to “save” God’s people.
Parishioners responding to the Catholic Charities volunteer coordinator and coming from all across the diocese to work on the coast. In that process faithful from big parishes worked side by side with faithful in small parishes and missions.  No color lines; no economic status; only companions on the journey.  Individuals whose even in their “emptiness” were powerful inspirations.
(Sister Donna Gunn is now retired, but was Disaster Relief Coordinator for Catholic Charities during Katrina.)

By Lindsay Blaylock
With two small overnight bags, photographs, diapers, and Our Lady of Prompt Succor’s intercession, Ron, myself, and our boys, Gabe (4) and Declan (7 months), evacuated our Metairie home at 2 a.m. Sunday.  We arrived at Ron’s parents’ Madison home at dawn. We watched as the levees broke and the city flooded.  I think I knew then I wouldn’t go home. Living in Jackson wasn’t part of that concept yet, but God had a plan.
A few days later, we learned that Ron had lost his job. He was running a photography studio whose roof had failed. His boss let us know that they would shelve the studio for the foreseeable future.
There was prayerful waiting – waiting to see when we could get back into the city, waiting to hear from friends and family about their plans, waiting for insurance questions to be answered, waiting for guidance.
My mom, a fellow evacuee, and I began attending daily Mass at St. Richard Church in Jackson. I felt peace. A posting in the parish bulletin alerted us to temporary work for Ron, a job supervising storm clean up crews.
Delays to return to the city persisted.  We heard if we could enroll our child in school for some stability, we should do so.   I walked into St Richard School and announced “I think I am here to register my son???” The secretary, Mrs. Georgia (Sckiets), compassionately walked me through the necessary paperwork.  As I handed it to her, she smiled at me and said “Welcome.” Since that day, we have been home.
Approaching his new classroom, I remember thinking, “He already has a school, God. We bought the uniforms already.”  The warmest smile greeted us that day.  Mrs (Tricia) Meyers put us at ease.  While I read about sleep behaviors and eating habits changing in kids post Katrina, I watched my son thrive.  In the next few weeks, he was learning to read and coming home happy.
One of the greatest gifts God gave us that fall was a lesson in material detachment.  We had practically nothing.  We didn’t have any of the comforts of our home.  The small apartment we rented was empty, save for a wicker love seat, an inflatable raft, a table with four chairs and our air mattresses.  It was amazing to sit there with nothing around you and feel fine with that.
Our home was a wet mess.  We lost a lot. Yet, Ron was already picking up freelance work in Jackson and reconnecting with friends.  He was determined to make the best of our time here. I was having trouble.
Gabe was invited to a classmate’ s party. With Mapquest not yet with us, I had directions on a looseleaf and got lost anyway.  We arrived 45 minutes late.  A woman named Deborah introduced herself as a New Orleanian and said, “You are Gabriel’s mom, right?  I’m so sorry.”  New Orleans is a small town and we discovered schools and neighborhoods in common….her husband was the parishioner who placed the job notice in the bulletin.  He grew up behind our flooded home … was the big tree still standing? I left the party with a live goldfish and a new friend.  From that moment on, she became a trusted advisor on everything from local pediatricians to po-boys.
And this kindness was repeated! At Halloween, a parent from the class called and invited us to trick-or-treat with them.  Although we had not ordered them, fair T-shirts arrived in the folder.   A baby blanket, extra lunch tickets, a jogging stroller at the white elephant sale.  People we would meet would say, “We’ve been praying for you. How can we help?” The “St R” community was a haven for us.
So, we decided to stay.
When Katrina came ashore and the levees broke, my heart broke with them.  Looking back, I can see God’s hand in all of it.   When my parents lived here briefly in the 70s, I was actually baptized at St. Richard.  I think God was leading us to life here.  I think He was leading us to the education He wanted for our children.  He chose a school built in the shadow of the church.  A place that lived its Catholic faith from administration down to the simplest art projects.  Everyone was generous with us in all the ways that matter.
We sing the Prayer of St. Richard after Communion at every weekly school Mass.  It opens with “Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits that you have given me…” At this 10 year mark, I can say He has given our family so many.  The St. Richard community showed us Gospel charity in action – We were strangers and they welcomed us.
(Lindsay Blaylock works for the Special Kids program at St. Richard School. Her husband, Ron, is a photographer in Jackson. They are members of Jackson St. Richard Parish.)

By Karla Luke
On Aug. 28, 2005, I never would have believed that when we left our New Orleans home in anticipation of the approach of Hurricane Katrina that we were never to return. We had gone through those motions many times before and had always came back home! But, there was something very unusual about this time. The Saturday and Sunday before the arrival of the storm were deathly quiet; no birds, no squirrels, not even dogs barking. In retrospect, I should have known that it would be bad.
The events of the storm have been recounted by many people many times and our story is not all that different. We were blessed to have the financial and physical means to evacuate before the storm, we sat in traffic for hours, we weathered the storm in a hotel, and finally, prepared to return home only to learn that we could not go back. We had already checked out of the hotel before the emergency notification from the federal government asked that everyone stay put. So there we were, we could not go back to the hotel and could not go home to New Orleans.
My family and I were in limbo until a kind and gracious “sister-friend” opened her home to us for two months. It was so very hard. The loss was incredible. Not that we had a million dollar mansion, but it was our home. Not that I worked for a Fortune 500 company, but it was my job. In the weeks and months to come, the loss would only intensify as we made important decisions that would soon become final. Since I was a little child, saying goodbye was always difficult for me. I had to learn to say goodbye over and over again: to the material things: the house, the job, a car, clothes, furniture; and to the emotional: my wedding photos and baby pictures, mementos, friends and most of all to my family.
There were three scriptures that kept me sane during Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13); “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11); and “we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28). I recited them daily, sometimes even hourly. They became my evening prayers before I went to sleep and my morning prayers when I arose.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I could not understand why this happened. As a middle school science teacher, I certainly understood the geography and the topography of New Orleans, so comprehending that part was logical. What I could not fathom was how to even begin to start again and pick up the pieces of our lives after citywide flooding that destroyed a great part of the community. I was weak and very sad.
This scripture gave my husband and me the courage to make those hard decisions, to look into the faces of our children to reassure them that everything would be okay. It was not easy but we were able to do it because of the reassuring presence of God. Each morning I woke up was proof that scripture was true.
“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11). I could not help but think that God removed us from one situation to place us in a better situation. I had to take comfort in realizing that the all-knowing and all-powerful Father had a better plan for us than the one that we had for ourselves.  Through this disastrous event, we were able to purchase a beautiful new home, and we were blessed because my husband’s company transferred him to an office in Jackson with a great position. My children entered new schools and made lifelong friends. Through the “calamity,” we found a hopeful future.
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28). The experience of going through Hurricane Katrina was horrendous for me. I did not know if ever a day would come that I would not cry, be sad or sick to my stomach, but God used the horrors of that storm to give me a new faith. I totally leaned on God (my strong husband too) to see me through this time.  “And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’” (Revelation 21:5). And God did.
One thing that I noticed in flood ravaged New Orleans when we were able to return to inspect the damage to our home and property was the Blessed Virgin Mary. I observed that in all of the places where the statue of Mary was displayed, there may have been damage to the property but the statue of Mary stood straight and unharmed. We always prayed to Our Lady of Prompt Succor for protection from storms. Throughout Mary’s life, she trusted in God and he took care of her. The subliminal message sent by that visual was to be strong in faith and God will protect you, even if you don’t understand everything at the time.
Since coming to Jackson 10 years ago, many things have changed for us. My husband continues to work for his company and has been graciously received into the community. My children have graduated from high school and college and have wonderful jobs. Our family bond could not be stronger.  I have continued my work in Catholic schools as a teacher and administrator, now serving in the Office of Catholic Education. I feel so blessed and happy in this state of my life. Every now and then, when I think of how it used to be, I may get a little sad. I still miss my family and friends but the time spent visiting has become much more precious and meaningful. The quantity of time we spend together has decreased but the quality of the relationships has increased.
We must continue to pray for all of the people who were and continued to be affected by the destruction of the storm. Many people lost their lives and still others have not been able to recover financially or emotionally from the effects of the storm. To those people we must offer hope for a new and brighter future.
I continue to be eternally grateful to all who helped us along the way: my “sister-friend” who provided shelter and support, the Jackson, Mississippi community, especially St. Therese Parish who welcomed us and became our church family and God who continues to guide me and keep safe. “Behold, I am making all things new. Write, for these words are faithful and true.” These words are indeed faithful and true.
(Karla Luke is the coordinator of operations for the Office of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Jackson and a member of Jackson St. Therese Parish.)

Eighteen hundred lives lost. A million people displaced, some for years. Sixteen billion dollars in insurance claims. Thousands of homes reduced to rubble or flooded beyond repair. Dozens of churches and schools inundated. A decade ago this week we were still reeling as the pictures of what Hurricane Katrina left came into sharper focus every day. As the chaos of the actual storm subsided, we faced the enormity of what it would take to make things right.
Everyone in this region has a Katrina story. For some, it’s a story of luck – a close call. For others, it is a story of loss and grief, but for many, the story is resilience. As we remember the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we want to honor your stories, especially the ones still unfolding. This issue of Mississippi Catholic is dedicated to letting people tell their experience during and since Hurricane Katrina. The focus is riding the surge of hope, seeing new life, being thankful for the generosity of our neighbors.
We cannot possibly tell all your stories, but we would love to hear them. We tried to include the perspective of some of our leaders who had to wrap their heads around how to minister to the coastal diaspora as well as some of those who sought and found help here in the Diocese of Jackson. We hope we have honored all those whose lives took a turn during the last week of August 2005.

Personal Reflections:
By Karla Luke  There were three scriptures that kept me sane
By Lindsay Blaylock  She said “Welcome.” Since that day, we have been home

First Response:
By Sr. Donna Gunn   We all belonged to something bigger than ourselves
By Linda Raff    The generosity of people … brought help and hope to so many
By Father David O’Connor    Our visitors would need hospitality for an extended period

A Plan Emerges:
By Msgr. Elvin Sunds   Katrina brought out what is best and noblest in us …
Sr. Deborah Hughes   Opportunity to make Gospel teachings truly come alive

Shepherds reflect:
Bishop Joseph Latino    We, as the community of faith, are the hands and face of God …
Bishop William Houck   Our memories help us to be grateful …
By Archbishop Thomas Rodi   A resiliency that comes from deep within
By Bishop Roger Morin   I oftentimes heard spontaneous prayers of praise to God