Out-of-town volunteers come to the rescue

By Amy Beets
After Katrina Newswire

Photo credit: Amy Beets Church volunteers from across the nation helped Creel repair and redecorate his home after it was damaged by Hurricane Katrina

LAUREL — After Hurricane Katrina, Earnest Creel of Laurel wasn’t sure how he was going to repair his home but he wasn’t worried about himself -- all he knew was that he wanted to help others in need.

Within a week of Katrina, Creel, along with volunteers from his First Baptist Church family, traveled to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in hopes of being of some assistance to those who had lost their homes.

While on the coast, Creel, 56, witnessed some of the most horrific images of devastation.

Families searched desperately for any word of missing loved ones and others dug through the remains of homes searching for anything they could salvage.

“People were lucky if they slept in tents and blessed if they found clean water to drink and bathe with,” Creel said.

Even though the American Red Cross from several states, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Mississippi Emergency Management Agency along with the Mississippi National Guard were deployed and handing out fresh water and food, it still didn’t seem like enough was being done.

Creel said when many people were not in need of food and water many times the only thing they were in search for was someone to listen to their story and to pray with.

“It was easy to make friends because so many people were willing to talk to anyone,” Creel said. “They just wanted someone to share their story and troubles with. If they shared it, it might not seem so big anymore.”

Creel spent two weeks on the Coast handing out food and volunteering his time whenever he was needed.

When Creel returned to Laurel, the realization of his problems set in. A tree had fallen through his roof and part of his house had water damage and would have to be repaired.

Creel was uncertain how he would afford to pay for the repairs on his fixed income.

Neighbors helped Creel remove the tree from his home and an infamous blue-tarp was secured over his house.

A few months after Katrina, a group of volunteers from the First Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas showed up in Laurel to help residents repair homes.

The church had felt a strong urge to help Katrina victims and soon learned the residents of Laurel were in need of help.

First-Trinity Presbyterian Church of Laurel as well as many other churches were in contact with several out-of-state churches and directed volunteer groups to residents who needed the most assistance.

The Kansas church was part of the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWC), which travels all over the world providing disaster relief services to communities in need. The CRWC is made up of religious and volunteer groups who travel all over the world assisting those who have been affected by natural disasters and health afflictions.

The Kansas volunteers heard of Creel’s unselfish acts after the hurricane and decided to help him. Twenty members of the church, young and old, spent four weeks repainting, re-roofing, and repairing Creel’s home.

“We heard of Earnest’s hard work and we wanted to do something for him in return for what he did for the victims on the coast,” said Fred Visser, regional project manager for CWRC. “Earnest is dedicated to his church (First Baptist) and he deserves to have these repairs.”

The hard work of the volunteers was an encouragement to Creel, who assisted with the repairs when he could. Not only did Creel’s house get a makeover on the inside, but the outside also saw improvements. The house got a fresh coat of paint and the yard was landscaped with vibrant azaleas and camellias.

“Earnest is a kind-hearted person who was selfless during the trying times of others, now we want to help him in his trying times,” said Mary Visser, project manager.

Almost a year later in November 2006, another volunteer group associated with the CWRC made a stop in Laurel to assist residents.

New Life Christian Relief Committee of Guelph, Ontario heard of Creel’s volunteer work on the coast and felt they needed to do something to help him.

Over the course of three weeks, six volunteers built Creel a screened in back porch.

“I am so appreciative for everything they have done for me,” Creel said. There is no way I could have afforded the repairs, and the friends I have made are wonderful.”

Creel said the volunteers he has come into contact with on the coast and in his hometown are true representations of how Christians are supposed to live.

 
Amy Beets is a senior journalism major at the University of Southern Mississippi . The After Katrina Newswire is a project of the School of Mass Communication and Journalism at USM (www.usm.edu/afterkatrina). This story can be reprinted with this credit included.