Hurricane Katrina
Katrina formed over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005, and crossed southern Florida as a moderate Category 1 hurricane, causing some deaths and flooding there, before strengthening rapidly in the Gulf of Mexico and becoming one of the strongest hurricanes on record while at sea. The storm weakened before making landfall as a Category 3 storm on the morning of August 29 in southeast Louisiana and the Louisiana/Mississippi state line.
The storm surge caused severe damage along the Gulf Coast, devastating the Mississippi cities of Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, and Pascagoula. In Louisiana, the flood protection system in New Orleans failed in 53 different places. Nearly every levee in metro New Orleans breached as Hurricane Katrina passed east of the city, subsequently flooding 80% of the city and many areas of neighboring parishes for weeks.
At least 1,836 people lost their lives in Hurricane Katrina and in the subsequent floods, making it the deadliest U.S. hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane. The storm is estimated to have been responsible for $81.2 billion (2005 U.S. dollars) in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
LINKS
Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana
Episcopal Relief and Development
Profile: Vicki Anthos
by Danny Schweers, August, 2007
Rebuilding New Orleans
Vicki Anthos was a member of Immanuel Highlands Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Delaware for 32 years before she found her calling. Since then, she has been to New Orleans twice and is planning to go again, to rebuild a city with as many others as she can get to join her.
"In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in September, 2005," Vicki says, "I was disgusted with what I saw NOT happening in New Orleans. I was upset with all levels of government and will be upset for many years to come. But then Anthony Grillo told me that the Consortium for Endowed Parishes was going to New Orleans to meet with Bishop Jenkins to discuss the situation and find out the needs of the community. I went!" That mission trip, in May, 2006, changed Vicki forever. The group spent three days in New Orleans with the Bishop and took a tour of the devastation in St. Bernard Parish, Lakeview and the lower Ninth Ward.
On her return, Vicki immediately began organizing another mission trip through her church, Immanuel Highlands. Everything fell into place. "I was surprised how smoothly it went. I anticipated problems, but they never materialized," says Vicki. People were so generous, and the fund-raisers were so successful, she and the other volunteers raised $7,000 more than they needed to cover trip expenses. Those excess funds were donated to the Diocese of Louisiana, St. Luke’s Church (Immanuel’s sister parish) and Episcopal Relief and Development.
"This was such a positive experience for Immanuel Highlands," says Vicki. "Although the church was not able to contribute financially to the trip, the Vestry did let us conduct fund-raisers, including a variety show and a Jambalaya feast with a silent auction."
Vicki is a typical Episcopalian, that is, she is unique! Raised in the Greek Orthodox Church, her family was active at Holy Trinity in Wilmington until, when Vicki was 13, the rector of Immanuel at the time, Victor Kusik, was invited to speak at Holy Trinity. Vicki has been at Immanuel Highlands ever since, serving in the Girl's Choir, Property Committee, Altar Guild, and the Liturgy Ministry. Then, in the fall of 2005, actually after Hurricane Katrina had hit, she decided to do nothing for a year. She needed a break. Within five months, she was on her first visit to New Orleans.
The story of the March, 2007 mission trip can be found in the May, 2007 issue of the Delaware Communion. On that trip, eleven members of Immanuel Highlands were joined by representatives from Church of the Nativity, Sts. Andrew and Matthew, Brandywine Valley Baptist Church, and First Unitarian Universalist Church of Wilmington.
One of the ministries they saw in New Orleans was the Mobile Care Respite Unit, which used an old blue bread truck to distribute canned food, water, paper towels, toilet paper, etc. The mission team promised Deacon Quinn that we would buy the ministry a new truck since it was on its last legs. Soon after the group returned to Delaware, Deacon Quinn contacted Vicki and told her that the truck was no longer working. Three months later, thanks to $2,000 in donations and $8,000 in loans from two volunteers, two members of the mission team drove a 2003 air-conditioned Penske truck to New Orleans. Fund-raising events since then, including a garage sale in May 2007 and a bowling event in June, have slowly paid off those loans to the two volunteers, who are only owed $500 each as we went to press.
"People in New Orleans have been so appreciative of our efforts," says Vicki. "Once, while our mission team was taking a break outside a house we were gutting, a woman driving by stopped, got out, and thanked us just for being there. It wasn't even her house but the sight of us touched her, made her feel people outside cared."