By Naomi Kroeger
Photo by Amy Brewer

Four years after Hurricane Katrina, its destruction is still keenly felt in forgotten small towns that volunteers have vacated and contractors have abandoned.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is working feverishly to complete work on 40 houses which they have taken over in Pearlington, Miss., but the diminishing number of volunteers makes this goal difficult. A FAPC mission trip team will be heading to Pearlington from October 11-17 to lend their hands to these works of mercy.

One house the group has worked on stands on 13-foot piers, looking as if it could withstand the storm surge from any hurricane.  Unfortunately, the contractor who had rebuilt the house cut corners where it counted most, leaving the house with serious structural problems, which the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance teams are working to correct. Such is the story behind so many of the houses still to be finished in Pearlington – contractors whose shoddy work left leaking roofs and mold behind bathroom walls; contractors who took money, then skipped town; homeowners who cobbled together enough money from insurance, FEMA and local grants to finish most of their house, but ran out of money before the work was completed. 

Many of the people affected are elderly or disabled with limited resources.  To make their situation worse, FEMA recently has recently set a final deadline for trailers to be vacated so pressure is on to complete work on houses.

If you would like to join the FAPC mission trip, contact Tim Eddy,  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 917-309-1179.  You will be glad that you did.