An Overwhelming Task

December 13, 2005 — by Per Christensson

I recently returned from a trip to Mississippi where I had the opportunity to help move some fallen trees and clean up some houses that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Though the group I was with was able to get a lot of work done in the week we were there, I still left feeling like we hardly did anything. The few areas we cleaned up seemed insignificant compared to the overall devastation caused by the hurricane.

It is incredible how widespread the damage is and how many people's lives have been affected by the hurricane. 100 days later, most families still have no home to live in and many families will not have a home for several years. Observing the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina is an eye-opening experience, to say the least. It makes one grateful for a place to live and to have resources like running water and electricity.

Since it has been several months since the hurricane hit, those of us who do not live near the Gulf Coast seldom hear about the current state of affairs in the news. But the fact is, most people in Mississippi and Louisiana who had their homes destroyed by the hurricane still need tons of help to clean up and rebuild. Many areas have not even begun to clean up the debris. If you would like to help out, there is no shortage of ways to do so. The Salvation Army and the Red Cross are two places that can help you put your resources to good use.