Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010, marks five years since Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf Coast. This week we remember this major U.S. disaster – the sadness and destruction, the survivors, the responders, and the lives changed.

Bayou La Batre, Ala.

Restoring homes in Bayou Lat Batre, Ala.

The work in Bayou La Batre, Ala., began almost immediately after Katrina hit. While areas of Mississippi and Louisiana were in the search and rescue phase, Alabama was already starting to pick up the pieces from the destruction Katrina left behind.

CBF partner Covenant Baptist Church in Elba, Ala., made “Katrina Kits” of personal care supplies that survivors in southern Alabama desperately needed. Many other CBF partner churches and individuals sent supplies to a Volunteers of America operation base, where the much-needed supplies were distributed to local residents or packed and shipped to other areas of the Gulf Coast.

In the months after the storm, Fellowship Baptists helped restore homes for local residents like the Seaman family, who had four feet of water flood their home. Living in a small travel trailer provided by FEMA was difficult since the son had muscular dystrophy. Fellowship Baptists stripped the interior of the flooded home and rebuilt the space, allowing the Seamans to return home.

Pearlington, Miss.

Destruction in Pearlington, Miss.

Pearlington was the small community almost forgotten. This unincorporated area is home to about 1,500 people – and most lost everything. Nearly every building in this community suffered immense damage as water rose up to 20 feet in some areas.  Many Fellowship Baptists and partner churches responded in Pearlington, helping rebuild dozens of homes and a few churches. They also supplied pumps for water wells and countless starter kits (sheets, towels, cook ware, dishes, cleaning supplies, etc.) for displaced residents living in FEMA trailers.

Some of the first responders in Pearlington were Marion and Shirley Black of Cameron, S.C. “We felt the Lord wanted us to be here,” said Marion, who lives in a small town and wanted to help another small town. More than 2,000 other Fellowship Baptists would come to serve in Pearlington over the next few years.  And just when money for Pearlington recovery had run out, American Baptist Churches-USA’s National Ministries learned about the Fellowship’s continued work and gave $100,000 for recovery efforts to help ten more families.

Other Katrina blog entries:
• Remembering the Sadness, the Destruction and Survival
• Responders See Change
• Recovery in Alabama and Mississippi
• Recovery in Louisiana
• How the Fellowship Changed