Hayden Congregational Church's
Return Visit to New Orleans, Louisiana

In April of 2007, a group of volunteers from Hayden Congregational Church, in Hayden, Colorado, made a return visit to New Orleans, Louisiana. This was our church’s second trip to help in recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s August 29, 2005 devastation on the Gulf Coast Region. This year’s group was a mix of church members pitching in for the first-time, and church members on their second tour to help.

There were some stark differences between the 2006 and 2007 experiences. The first noticeable contrast mentioned by the veterans of the group was how much cleanup had already been done. In 2006, trash and debris were caught in leafless trees and along fences, blown there by the powerful wind. Abandoned, flooded vehicles were stockpiled anywhere they could be moved, in order to clear streets and highways. They were packed tightly under bridges and overpasses, or on the median during HCC’s first visit. Just six months after the hurricane, there was very little traffic and few retail businesses were open. This gave an eerie sense of being alone in a ghost town.

Since then, the cars have been removed by the city, and much of the trash has been cleaned up. On the return trip, the veterans in the group also mentioned seeing more people out and about trying to restore their lives and get the city back to normal.

On the most recent trip down to the French Quarter, the HCC team found themselves in the midst of a multi-stage Jazz Festival, complete with libations, and unmistakable horns form the many jazz bands. That evening we all saw hope and realized how resilient the residents of the Crescent City are, and how they do like a good time!

But the opposite is also true. Like the ring around a dirty bathtub, one could see the water line of the storm surge along most of the standing structures in the 9th Ward. It is a constant reminder of the hand Mother Nature has dealt. Suicide and lingering depression were still common companions. Our attempt to make contact with the lady who owned the house on which we were working was fruitless. She did not come out of her FEMA trailer set on the front lawn to greet us, as we had hoped. She was guarded and withdrawn, but we need to accept and respect her decision for whatever reason. It is all for them and not for us.

Just bocks away we took a lunch break on the bank of Lake Pontchartrain, on a sunny day. We saw an older gentleman, as he was packing up after some fishing, and asked if he planned to stay in New Orleans, now that eighteen months had passed since the storm. Without hesitation and with absolute sincerity his reply was “Why would I leave Paradise?”

Upon returning to our paradise near the Yampa Valley, we relived the great feeling of giving without expecting anything in exchange. We talked about how others in our church and in our community who could not make the trip still wanted the satisfaction of providing hands-on help to people in real need. This discussion helped HCC realize that we can and will make a difference outside of our four walls, and given us a clear direction to focus on needs closer to home. We have committed to a “Mission Week” for June 2nd through June 8th, and teamed up with Habitat for Humanity on a project, right here in Hayden, Colorado. We are hopeful most everyone can assist and help in any way they are able.

Our New Orleans experience will not soon be forgotten. Everyone walked away with something more than I can convey in a few paragraphs. Much work is left to do in New Orleans, and elsewhere, and the grassroots efforts by this church and by many other volunteer groups around the country are only scratching the surface. The coordinator for the church where we stayed on our return visit said something at our informational meeting which seems appropriate to repeat: “It’s not about you, it’s about them.”

Written and recounted by Hayden Congregational Church Member Chuck VeDepo

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