Locals rally to help Katrina victims
—Photo courtesy VICKI JEFFRES Members of Sandpoint’s First Christian and Cedar Hills churches pose for a picture after helping a resident with their New Orleans home.
SANDPOINT — In the weeks and months after Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, many Americans watched helplessly as hundreds of thousands of families tried in vain to repair their homes and lives.
Nearly three years later, the news cameras are gone, but the wreckage left by Katrina is still visible and hundreds of thousands are still homeless.
One positive aspect of the hurricane has been the outpouring of support from countless individuals and groups located in every corner of the country, including North Idaho.
In March, 46 Sandpoint residents traveled to New Orleans to do their part in the rebuilding of the Crescent City.
Among them were Dale Jeffres, co-owner of Sandpoint Furniture/Carpet One, and his wife Vicki, who made the trip with members of Sandpoint’s First Christian and Cedar Hills churches and with the help of Forward Edge International, a missions and relief organization that addresses the urgent needs of afflicted people around the world.
Jeffres and the rest of his party worked with individual homeowners to strip, clean and repair buildings damaged by the storm. When they were physically able, the owners contributed to the clean-up efforts in any way they could, often working shoulder to shoulder with church members or preparing meals for the workers.
Jeffres called the trip incredible and said everyone he met was very cordial and grateful for the help.
“In the south, people don’t shake hands, they greet you with a hug,” he said.
According to Jeffres, the work he and his group did was not heroic, but simply the right thing to do.
“We’re just doing what we’re supvposed to be doing,” he said. “We’re meant to take care of each other. It’s just people helping people.”
It’s that selfless attitude that brings thousands of everyday people from all walks of life to New Orleans to lend a hand. The demand has increased so much in recent months that Jeffres said people are being turned away for lack of space.
Both Vicki and Dale said they are eager to return to New Orleans to continue the work they began in March, and with more and more trips being planned — including one next month — they’re sure to get their wish.
For more information about Forward Edge International, visit them online at forwardedge.org.