The town of Chalmette sits on the Mississippi River just across from New Orleans in St. Bernard Parish. Katrina caused the levee failures that inundated homes throughout the parish with 6-20 feet of water for over 2 weeks. Over 200 parish residents lost their lives and 100% of the homes were officially declared "uninhabitable." Nearly 50% of the residents were senior citizens. We all can recall the desperate images that filled our TV screens in August 2005.

Brethren Disaster Response is coordinating efforts with the St. Bernard Project, a local all-volunteer organization. The city has taken care of demolishing houses and clearing debris. Volunteers are doing major repair work including insulation, drywall, laminate flooring, plumbing, electric, roofing, etc. - just the basics to allow people to get back into their homes.

With such widespread devastation, there is a serious lack of available volunteer housing. Fortunately, the St. Bernard Project was able to obtain seven trailers on loan from FEMA for the Brethren volunteers' use.

(text from BRIDGES newsletter, Vol. 8, Number 1, 2007)

Brethren Disaster Response volunteers Eddie Motley, left, from North Carolina, and Dave Duffey, right, from the Atlantic Northeast District, replace drywall in a home in Chalmette, La., damaged by the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Brethren Disaster Response volunteer Becky Motley from North Carolina learns to "mud and float out" drywall seams at this home in Chalmette, La.

Disaster Response volunteer Michelle Saich (forground), from the Atlantic Northeast District, gathers together the last of the drywall mud in her pan.

A sign in Chalmette, La., expressed frustration with lack of response to the needs of the Gulf Coast following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This photo was taken the same week that Anabaptist church leaders visited Louisiana to support communities still struggling with the effects of the storms.