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10 Years Later: Katrina’s Legacy of Service
By Reese May, Director of East Coast Operations, St. Bernard Project
Reese May was thousands of miles away, serving in Iraq when Hurricane Katrina devastated his home in the Gulf coast. Read May’s story of how he was applied his military experience in a different form of service as an AmeriCorps member in the Gulf Coast rebuilding homes for residents and families who could not afford to hire a contractor to reconstruct their homes.
On August 29, 2005, I was in Al Qa'im, a small Iraqi town on the Syrian border. I had three weeks left on my first deployment to Iraq and I could hardly wait to get home to my family. As my unit (an Anti-Terrorism Marine reserve unit comprised entirely of Mississippi and Louisiana residents) prepared for one of our final operations, we saw limited coverage of the storm’s approach on a chow hall TV. It was increasingly unclear to what “home” we might return. The rest of the story you already know.
The storm was devastating, the government response abhorrent, and even today, the recovery incomplete. 10 years later, more than 5,000 New Orleanians still lack the financial resources to return to their homes. The composition of many neighborhoods has changed and others have yet to return. But despite the storm’s destruction, and the ongoing problems with disaster recovery in America – New Orleans’ story is hardly all doom and gloom. In the years since Katrina, New Orleans has given many the opportunity to become our very best selves.
Put simply, New Orleans post-Katrina is one of America’s clearest demonstrations of the value of national service. A form of service that is just as important as the service carried out by men and women in uniform overseas.
Resilient Katrina Survivor Serving to Make NOLA Better for All
Ten years after Katrina, AmeriCorps alumna reflects on building in New Orleans
In Biloxi, it’s a day to look at Katrina, Erika and the future
By Sun Herald (reblog)
The community gathered Saturday morning at the new MGM Park – the edifice itself a sign of the progress in the decade since Hurricane Katrina – to look back at the day 10 years ago when the storm rolled over the Coast, to thank the volunteers and first responders and to look forward to the possibilities for South Mississippi.
View More#Katrina10 Recap: Red Jacket Weekend
By Mallory Orr, AmeriCorps member serving on the Entergy Louisiana Team at Broadmoor Middle School
“That’s the story of New Orleans…a city that, for almost 300 years, has been the gateway to America’s soul. Where the jazz makes you cry, the funerals make you dance, the bayou makes you believe all kinds of things. A place that has always brought together people of all races and religions and languages. And everybody adds their culture and their flavor into this city’s gumbo. You remind our nation that for all of our differences, in the end, what matters is we’re all in the same boat. We all share a similar destiny.” —President Obama marking the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans
President Obama Commemorates 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
(Source: obamawhitehouse)
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#Katrina10: Hurricane Katrina Memorial
Today we gather at the Hurricane Katrina memorial to say a prayer and lay a wreath in memory of those lost 10 years ago.
View More#Katrina10: The Strength of the Gulf Coast - From Destruction to Growth and Recovery
#Katrina10: KaBOOM! Build Brings Partnership and More Time Outside for NOLA Kids
KaBoom in partnership with AmeriCorps NCCC and Communities In Schools brought the community together to construct a new playground at John A. Shaw Elementary in New Orleans. This service project is important to the neighborhood and school as it increases opportunities for children to play outside and explore their imaginations while being active.
Learn more about national service around the Gulf Coast on our Katrina 10 portal
View More#Katrina10: Welcome Home Mrs. Clemons!
St. Bernard Project, CNCS join the block party celebrating the NOLA resident’s return to her community
#Katrina10 Stories of Service: AmeriCorps NCCC Alumna Kelsey Blum
AmeriCorps NCCC alumna Kelsey Blum talks about her service in the 10 years since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, and the lessons she’s learned about preparedness and making sense out of chaos.
Learn more about National Service on our #Katrina10 portal
View More#Katrina10 Stories of Service: Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps Alum Chris Monforton
AmeriCorps alum Chris Monforton served on one of the first assessment teams for Habitat for Humanity around the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Watch to hear his memories of service and the gratitude he expresses for the volunteers on the 10th anniversary of the storm.
Learn more on the National Service Katrina10 portal
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#Katrina10: Mississippi First Lady, CNCS Team Help Finish Katrina Anniversary Habitat Home
Habitat for Humanity Bay-Waveland Area got an assist on the 202nd home it has completed in the area as Mississippi First Lady Deborah Bryant, Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Wendy Spencer, AmeriCorps members, and local officials joined in the service project today in Waveland, MS. To date, Habitat has completed 54 single-family homes in the area.
Learn more on the National Service Katrina10 portal
View More#Katrina10: Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes Discusses National Service and the Katrina Recovery
The city of Gulfport was one the Mississippi towns that bore the brunt of a heavy hit from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In the video above, Mayor Billy Hewes talks about the role national service played in the community’s recovery after the storm. Here’s part of what Mayor Hewes said:
“AmeriCorps was key because it was so well organized and came down and they were there consistently. And they were kind of the fabric that when folks would come or groups would come and go, you always had the continuity of the volunteers through AmeriCorps that really kind of came and gave stability to an unstable situation. …
“So just having folks there to listen to you, to do things physically, to just help us move forward and move ahead made the difference, and certainly AmeriCorps was a critical component of that.”
Watch Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes video on YouTube
Visit the National Service Katrina10 portal
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#Katrina10: AmeriCorps NCCC Members Join Project Homecoming Build in NOLA
Today, nine AmeriCorps NCCC members joined volunteers with Project Homecoming to work on a home in the New Orleans East neighborhood. Project Homecoming helps New Orleans families whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Katrina and works with families who are hoping to become homeowners by building brand new homes on abandoned or blighted properties. The group also works to improve community spaces, such as local gardens, and provides workforce training.
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