First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans

HURRICANE KATRINA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. It was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third-strongest landfalling U.S. hurricane on record. Katrina formed in late August during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season and caused devastation along much of the north-central Gulf Coast of the United States. Most notable in media coverage were the catastrophic effects on the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and in coastal Mississippi. Due to its sheer size, Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast as far as 100 miles (160 km) from the storm's center. Katrina is the third major hurricane, and second Category 5 hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic season. It formed over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005, and crossed southern Florida as a moderate Category 1 hurricane, causing some deaths and flooding there, before strengthening rapidly in the Gulf of Mexico and becoming one of the strongest hurricanes on record. The storm weakened considerably before making its second and third landfalls as a Category 3 storm on the morning of August 29 in southeast Louisiana and at the Louisiana/Mississippi state line, respectively... MORE!

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AFTER THE DEPARTING
OF THE WATERS
New Orleanians were not allowed to return to their city until a month after Hurricane Katrina. In that month homes, churches, libraries, schools, offices, and every other dwelling place in our wonderful city sat in the sweltering heat of a south Louisiana September. The waters warped and rotted anything made of wood. The heat turned water soaked rugs, walls, and bedding into a green and black sea of mold and slime. Homes, fishing boats, and even inground swimming pools were strewn about the streets like discarded toys of some giant's careless child.

A MESSAGE FROM THE WATERS: When workers entered First Church a month after Hurricane Katrina, they found this hymnal, Singing The Living Tradition, open to hymn #308, Blessings of the Earth and Skies . It seemed appropriate that we sing the hymn at our first service together.
Churches across the courntry have donated hymnals to replace those that were lost to the waters. Thank you all so much.

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED: Both pianos, the organ, and the music library were claimed by Katrina, so the music could not play. But fear not, there is hope in mudville. We were very lucky in that our wonderful pianist, Jane Jensen, had copies of everything the choir has ever sung. Ever resilient the choir has regrouped and sounds wonderful.

BEFORE & AFTER: The church has been gutted and the mold has been removed. The second floor in the education wing now houses our offices and a Hurricane Relief & Social Justice Project volunteer center. We have had one service in the Sanctuary, regular committee meetings in the wallless classrooms, and several fellowship activitites in our Fellowship Hall. We want our church home back!

AROUND THE CHURCH: You can see from the picture of the door and window the height of the water. The window ledge is about five feet from the ground. The parquet flooring on the chancel buckled and the organ is long gone. We had just had the roof fixed, so we got to fix it again.