South Carolina UMVIM ERT Disaster Response to Lake Charles, Louisiana

September 22-27, 2008

Our South Carolina United Methodist Volunteers In Mission (UMVIM) Early (Disaster) Response Teams (ERT) were put on stand-by for disaster responses as Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike threatened and later made US landfalls this past month. As soon as it was safe to respond without being in the crosshairs of a hurricane we did.

Our SC-UMVIM-ERT Team arrived at Lake Charles, Louisiana on September 22, 2008, nine days after Hurricane Ike made landfall and devastated the state of Louisiana with flooding tidal surge that reached up to at least 30 miles inland due to the terrain and lay of the land. Texas had additionally been hit with strong winds. We stayed at the United Way Volunteer Center located at 1104 Recreation Drive and arrived to a warm welcome from a people in great need of help. Lake Charles is located only 35-miles from the Texas border. Though we were worn out from the 900+ mile trip, our spirits were lifted as we socialized with other volunteers of a wide variety including United Way, Red Cross, Ameri-Corps (an American version of the Peace Corps made up mainly of young adults), and other faith based originations.

The volunteer center is a very nice facility. It is a renovated school to house recovery teams from the aftermath of Hurricane Rita in 2005 that has housed over 5000 volunteers over the past years. They have an industrial kitchen, Internet access, dinning / TV room, 200 bunk beds, 20 showers, etc. – much better conditions than we are use to having during a true Early Response. The center and most other recovery organizations were beginning to downsize from Rita when Ike hit.

Our 12-person team was made up of 11 United Methodist volunteers from SC and one of our members (Jerry Gooden) who just moved to Louisiana the weekend that Gustav hit. He received 22 inches of rain where he had moved to but suffered no serious damage. Jerry has been with us on many past missions and it was very good to have him back as a team member again. Our team was made up of UMVIM members from all across SC including: Billy Robinson of North– Team Leader, Terry Rawls of Pomaria– Assistant Team Leader, E.T. & Judith Smith of Columbia, Rev. Ken & Dottie Phelps of Manning, Gene & Suzanne Failmezger of Summerton, Bill & Meg Roberts of Lexington and Wayne Goff of Greenwood. E.T. & Judith Smith were our cooks and provided a wide variety of good meals each day and even made some special local dishes such as gumbo. We headed out early each morning to the Cameron Parish, which was literally devastated by Hurricane Ike as it also was by Rita in 2005. We are use to doing typical Early Response duties including chainsaw work, placing tarps on damaged roofs, and mucking out flooded homes with the majority of our past responses being chainsaw and tarp emergencies such as in the SC Tornados of March 2008. This was a totally different type of devastation here where there was little wind damage and massive flood damage. The major damage to the South Western portion of Louisiana was from a water surge of up to 15 foot that came in at high tide flooding thousands of homes as it raced over 30-miles inland flooding everything in its path leaving black muck, silk, saw grass and death in its wide path. Fish, snakes, rats, etc. were found in people’s yards and in their houses. Animals were dead everywhere in the flooded areas and their stench was getting worse day by day.

We were so blessed that God had chosen us and given us the honor and privilege of serving Him and others during their times of dire need. Our goal was to be God’s hands and feet to a devastated people showing everyone the caring love of God through our actions and compassion.

Work Day #1

The morning of our first day found us helping relieve the stress load on the local United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) representative Kevin Hodge, by helping to shuttle materials including water and tarps from a distribution point at Sweet Lake UMC to a centralized warehouse. In the afternoon we mucked out two homes in the community of Creole, which was hard hit with devastating flooding. It is located in the Cameron Parish (a parish is the same thing as one of our counties), which was devastated throughout with wide spread flooding. The homes we worked on not only had salt water 4 – 5 foot throughout but also black muck, silt, sea weed and grass spread throughout the homes creating a bad stench and making clean-up very difficult. In one of the homes three snakes and several big rats had been killed prior to us entering. This made us very cautious while working in the deep muck and debris. Deep depression and frustration was apparent on the faces of many residents that we met. They were in dire need of hope and inspiration and God through us gave them a bright ray of hope and the knowledge that others do care – even enough to travel 900 miles at their own expense to help.

The homes we worked on were ones the United Methodist Church helped clean and repair after Hurricane Rita in 2005. The home owners were very grateful and explained that this was their inherited land that they love, plus they do not have the finances to relocate. Most did not have enough insurance to cover damages due to extremely high flood insurance prices after Rita. Faced with the situation of either repairing their homes or abandoning them most have no chose but to stay. One of the homes had been through 3 hurricanes (Audrey in 1957, Rita in 2005 and Ike). Going in and out of the area we had to go through security checkpoints and a 6p.m. curfew was in effect for the entire area.

Several of us made a trip to Wal-Mart after work to purchase needed items such a rubber boots. Unfortunately, Reverend Ken & Dottie Phelps and Suzanne Failmezger were involved in a serious vehicle accident. Ken suffered lacerations to his nose from his glasses and an injured left leg but nothing serious. Suzanne suffered a sore shoulder but not serious and Dottie was unhurt. Thank God it was not more serious and the occupants of the vehicle that hit them were not injured. The vehicle Ken was driving was totaled. Arrangements had to be made for a rental car.

Work Day #2

Wednesday (9-24) we headed to an area on Highway 384 known as Big Lake, which is located on an island. One of the two bridges going to the island was damaged during Ike and was unable to be used. The other bridge is a swing bridge and is only opened during several times a day since it has to be opened for barges going through on the Inter Costal Waterway. A curfew is in effect on the island after 6 p.m.

During the morning, we mucked out the home of Mrs. Dorothy Tolbert at 152 Oliver Street who is in her 80’s and suffering from terminal cancer as well as a diabetic. Mrs. Tolbert had a home full of antiques and sentimental memorabilia. Six inches of water had flooded the house, although her home was built-up several feet off the ground. We focused mainly on ripping all of the salt water soaked carpet out of her home and was able to save the majority of her possessions.

All throughout her yard was washed up items of other people’s docks, boats, family photographs and countless items of memorabilia as well as debris. We helped locate and salvage what items we could. The old home place was built in the late 1800’s and had weathered at least 3 hurricanes. We also helped her son at his home of 128 Oliver Street to move and locate items.

In the afternoon we responded to the home of Darryl Fargue located at 10690 on Hwy. 384. We placed tarps on the roof of the home that had many of its shingles blown off and even the felt paper underneath. They had no water damage from flooding water due to having built their current home on blocks after having Hurricane Rita completely destroy their first home in 2005. Our heartstrings were warmly touched by two little girls staying at the home who entertained us with their tricycles and energetic play. They also made quite a fuss over the stuffed animals along with scripture gifts we gave them.

After finishing the roofing job we had 2-hours to spare before the bridge would open so we could exit the island before curfew. We asked at a fire station and distribution point if anyone near needed help. They directed us to the residence of Junius Daigle at 1991 on Hwy 384. He is an elderly handicapped man that had been asking several days for help. His home had not received water damage but his power had been off for 10-days and had just recently been cut back on. His refrigerator had not been properly cleaned out and it had a terrible stench in it. We basically took the entire inside of the refrigerator apart and cleaned it leaving him with a refrigerator that he could now use. This is not the typical ERT work that we expect to do but as along as we are helping others during their times of dire need as God directs then we are being true ambassadors of Jesus Christ. To be used by God to help others in such dire times of need is not only a blessing to the people we help but a series of wonderful and caring blessings are also bestowed upon us with true and priceless riches that are beyond all measure!

There were still roads and areas that are flooded so bad that they could not be accessed by any work teams or even have damage assessments done.

Work Day #3
On Thursday (9-25) it took our team an entire day of hard labor to muck out the flooded home of Jody, Michelle, Bashby & Bubba Thomas of 704 Benjamin Lane in Hackberry, which is located in the Cameron Parish. The labor and emotionally intense job included hauling off anything salvageable to a storage area and throwing out everything else including all appliances. The homeowners had just recently moved back in after Hurricane Rita flooded their home in 2005. All of their appliances were brand new and now had to be thrown away after being flooded with murky salt water. The family had struggled to purchase furniture and construction materials to get back into their home and now were back in the same devastating situation they were in three years ago. They kept thanking us and even apologizing for troubling us, especially since many volunteer United Methodist teams had helped them rebuild. We did a lot of listening and counseling with them. Mucking out requires us to cut out sheet rock / paneling and insulation in walls for several feet above the flood level. Cabinets and anything that had water damage had to be torn out. The family's father and son team of Tony and Bubba helped us all day. Michelle, who was the mother, had worked and daughter Bashby attended school. As they came into their once lovely home that was now completely gutted, tears began to flow. The daughter became so up-set that she had to leave for a while. We prayed with them and gave comfort gifts and big hugs before leaving; with them telling us "thank you" for basically ripping everything out of their home while helping salvage the rest.
The complete town of Hackberry was flooded with at least 4 foot of water that included black murky salt water with grass and such in it. This sad story is the same all along the costal regions and bayous in many other towns or communities. One lady, who lives 19-miles from the ocean (Holly Beach), told us that she literally found a 3-pound catfish underneath her wood cook stove. At a Catholic Church in Hackberry, at least 20 vaults and caskets have popped out of the ground in their cemetery and either floated into piles or floated away. In cemeteries all throughout the flooded regions the scenes were the same. Mosquitoes are the worst that any of us have ever seen. While outdoors you have to wear long sleeves and pants plus cover yourself with bug spray. Inside the homes the mosquitoes were just as bad since all windows and doors were open. Officials were supposed to soon have the areas sprayed using airplanes. Most of the large infestation is related to the standing floodwaters that still have not reseated in many locations.

Work Day #4

Friday (9-26), we headed back to the town of Hackberry to 220 Channel View Drive, which is the home of Mrs. Hazel Labove who is in her 80's. We mucked out her home, which was loaded down with furniture and appliances. She had also found a catfish lying in one of her flowerpots in her backyard, which was located 16-miles from the ocean. Again, it was a very sad situation as we removed the majority of this ladies possessions out of her home and placed them in a pile beside the road. As far as your eyes could see were other peoples possessions piled along the road in front of their flooded homes. Mrs. Labove was very good with arts and crafts and had a home full of them. The majority of them were now ruined. She told us stories of past hurricanes and how Audrey had swept her father away in 1957 - his body was never recovered. Tears and emotions again began to flow as she told her stories to us and began thanking us.

The majority of residents that we saw and talked to appeared to be walking around in a fog or daze. They suffered through Hurricane Rita in 2005 and rebuilt / refinished their homes, which most had no flood insurance on and could not afford to leave. They were told that Rita and Katrina were 50-100 year storms so they rebuilt using what funds they had and through the gracious, caring and loving help of countless volunteers over the past three years. All of the homes we worked on had either just been completed or were nearing completion with the homeowners living there when Hurricane Ike hit. This have left them mentally, spiritually and even physically devastated. Many tears flowed as they told their stories and you could read the signs of great loss in their eyes. Most do not know what to do since they feel that it is even wrong to ask volunteers to help them again though they cannot afford to move as long as their homes are salvageable. They also feel that FEMA is not doing near enough and left out since most of the press coverage is focused on Texas, though there is the same amount of devastation in a large portion of Louisiana. Red Cross officials state that closer to the cost there is very little homes that are salvable. One official stated that out of 25 homes she was sent to check on only 2 remained. Large portions of these regions were also still flooded.
We have learned a lot from this mission trip, which should help us better prepare South Carolina for disasters as well as our responses to disasters in other states. Our thoughts will stay with these people for a long time as well as our prayers! We pray that God will fill them with hope, love and vision as well as meet all of their needs.

Two other SC-UMVIM-ERT Teams are planning to go and help the week of October 6, including a team from Lexington (contact is Frank Seeby ) and one from Prosperity (contact is Jason Barnes ).

God Bless!

Billy Robinson – SC UMVIM Disaster Coordinator and Team Leader

803-539-8429