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Lutheran Disaster Response in Mississippi (LDRM) is an organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Christus Victor Disaster Response (CVDR) was set up by LDRM to provide assistance to the residents of Pascagoula, Ocean Springs and Biloxi, Mississippi in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
CVDR provides support in the form of food distribution, community work crews, a medical clinic, and a food kitchen. CVDR runs a distribution center, warehouse, counseling and administrative offices, as well as a dormitory and kitchen, which can house and feed 300 volunteers in Ocean Springs, called Camp Victory. The building has been converted from a former garment factory. Renovations, including a new roof due to hurricane damage, have recently been completed to bring this facility online June 4th. Previously, these services were provided at Christus Victor Lutheran Church.
Camp Victory has a loading dock that can accommodate two semi tractor-trailers, and accesses the warehouse and distribution center. Clients are interviewed in the counseling offices to determine their needs. The clients pull up to the front of the building in their cars, some of which also serve as their homes, and are loaded with supplies. The distribution center operates from 9 to 4 Monday through Friday, and serves an average of 85 families per day.
Volunteers are the backbone of Camp Victory. They staff the warehouse and distribution center. Skilled trades people, such as plumbers, roofers and electricians, from all over the country staff the community work crews. A volunteer medical staff operates a clinic which serves those in the community that have no other source for medical care. Common maladies include respiratory ailments from the prevalent molds and mildews, called Katrina Krud, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Other volunteers at Camp Victory provide support for everyday maintenance activities and feed the army of volunteers that are housed at the camp.
Donations gathered by Bower Hill Community Church were unloaded and unpacked directly into the distribution center. The boxes were broken down and the food was sorted and placed directly into circulation to be distributed. Conceivably, these donations were placed into the hands of people who needed them within 24 hours of their arrival in Mississippi.
The communities of Pascagoula, Ocean Springs and Biloxi Mississippi lost thousands of homes when Hurricane Katrina came ashore on August 29th, 2005. Houses are being renovated and replaced yet many are still living in tents, trailers and automobiles while they try to get their lives back together. Travelers on Interstate 10, which bisects the region might not have any idea of the disaster which struck were it not for the occasional shrimp boat left stranded in the tidal marshes by the storm, that may be viewed from the highway. Major cities nearby, such as Mobile, appear normal. Fast Food restaurants, hotels, casinos, grocery stores and gas stations flourish, seeming to be blissfully unaware of the ruins that lie but a scant distance away. It is troubling, this juxtaposition of abundance and need. Troubling that people can spend so much on themselves, while their neighbors don’t even have fresh water, 9 months after Katrina. Troubling that a government could continue to spend billions of dollars a month overseas, while the needs of its own people are virtually ignored, and now it is hurricane season again.
Thank you for the opportunity to perform this service. This was truly a group endeavor, made possible by every member of Bower Hill Community Church. Jim, Jonah and I were merely fortunate enough to run the last leg of this relay and cross the finish line for the whole team.
John Zoll
John Zoll's Additional Commentary
June 10, 2006
When we arrived at the warehouse of the Center on Tuesday at 10:00 PM, we were greeted by John Fitzpatrick., House Manager of the Center. John welcomed us with open arms and was very gracious in giving us a walking tour of the warehouse. John is a volunteer and has been at the Center since last November. He is a writer and is from the Poconos of Pennsylvania.
The warehouse can house 200 volunteers and has several bedrooms with bunk beds, which were built by the volunteers. A company donated very good mattresses for the beds, and they are very comfortable to sleep on. There were 90 volunteers there the night we arrived. Quiet time begins at 10 PM and we were quiet during the time John acquainted us with the place. We got to bed at 11:30 PM and, of course, slept on the bunk beds.
We were up at 5:30 AM on Wednesday, breakfast at 6 AM and short worship service at 7 AM. Then the volunteers received their assignments for the day to go out to various houses that needed repairs on the outside as well as the inside. Some volunteers stayed in the warehouse to repair and remodel. During Hurricane Katrina the roof was blown off the warehouse and much water ruined the inside. The warehouse is on one floor and is spacious with very large rooms to hold donated food, tools and anything else needed for the volunteers. The entire warehouse needs much work done. It is owned by the county and leased to the Lutherans. Volunteers have been to the warehouse from every state as well as foreign countries and as far away as Australia. The state and federal government charge the city of Ocean Springs for cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina, and the volunteers get credited with $17.50 per hour of volunteer work which is a credit toward the charges by the state and government. We did not see any debris laying around the city. which has been taken away by the state or government. Metal has been recycled, wood used to repair houses and the rest delivered to a land fill.
Anheuser Busch donated 250,000 case of water in 12 ounce cans. Krogers has donated cartons and cartons of peanut butter. This may last before the end of summer. Most food and drinks donated by various companies have expired but they are still good to eat and drink per John Fitzpatrick.. People are lined up each day from 9 AM to 4 PM to get bags of food and anything else the Lutheran Center can provide. What ever is given to the people has been received by the Center from contributions such as what we delivered by truck.
The Center provided 12 people and with the three of us the truck was unloaded Wednesday morning which took only on half hour. Not only were our boxes of food placed in the warehouse, but they were immediately opened and the sorted to be used right away. Residents of Ocean Springs are still living in tents and cars. The City is a disaster and needs amounts of work beyond the imagination. The Lutherans have to be commended for their work for the residents of Ocean Springs. Our government also needs to help so the the city, residents, dwelling places, etc. can be restored to what they were before Hurricane Katrina.
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