Helping Hands and Hurricanes
Kathy WaltersFeatured Photo: Lance, Kade, and Ethan Stubbs don the yellow Helping Hands vests of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they volunteer in the massive clean-up effort in the wake of Hurrican Ida. Photo by Dan Trythall.
On August 29, 2021, the exact day sixteen years ago that Hurricane Katrina hit, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana as a category four, the second most devastating hurricane to hit the area in recorded history. The powerful winds pushed ocean water far inland, literally drowning neighborhoods and beating the communities with brutal force. To make the situation worse, Ida was slow-moving, which meant the residents of Louisiana suffered under the fierce storm for days, often spurring tornadoes to add to the maelstrom. When the storm finally passed, the extent of the damage was unbelievable. Residents were without power, clean water, and shelter. Many left to stay with family or friends in unaffected areas. The rest stayed in storm-damaged homes, praying for help and starting on the overwhelming task of cleaning up and rebuilding.
Friday, September 24, dozens of men, women, and children over the age of fourteen from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Allen, Texas, area packed up their camping equipment, work boots, gloves, and a wide array of yard equipment and started the long drive to Louisiana, eager to lend a hand to their southern neighbors. They weren’t the first group from the worldwide church to come help, nor would they be the last, but they were ready for whatever they would be asked to do.
“I personally think all the guys are just excited for the chance to use their chainsaws,” Daniel Walters, a young volunteer joked, making the group laugh. They stayed optimistic and light-hearted throughout the long drive. Late that night they pulled into what volunteer Rebekah Williams described as a happy, busy tent city of people from Texas and surrounding states that had been asked to come help. The group set up camp in Baton Rouge and Houma, never imagining the devastation that would greet them by morning.
“The view as we crossed over bridges was a sea of blue-tarped roofs,” John Reed, one of the team leaders stated. “The city of Houma looked like a war zone. Tornadoes had destroyed countless homes and businesses. Debris from homes and buildings was everywhere. Power and phone lines were down all over the place. We saw MASSIVE trees broken in two, still lying through the middle of homes. Most were too large to remove without heavy machinery. All of the people we helped were semi-homeless. Their homes were simply not livable, but they had nowhere else to go . . . so they stayed in a single room that had a roof, where they could to stay out of the elements.”
Fallen tree on home. Photo by John Reed Rebekah, Ashby, and Shon Williams resting on fallen tree. Photo by Darren Johnson. Helping Hands volunteers with homeowners. Photo by John Reed.
The teams dug in and got to work. Adults used their chain saw skills cutting heavy branches and trunks, and the young men and women hauled branches and debris to the street for the city to pick up. It was hot, humid work, but the volunteers were upbeat and cheerful in their bright yellow Helping Hands shirts.
“Some things were just so big that the people get overwhelmed and don’t know how to get past it,” volunteer Shon Williams noted. “Getting them out of a rough situation so they can start moving forward was what really meant a lot to them. It was very rewarding to be a part of.”
His fifteen-year-old daughter, Ashby, said, “It made me feel so good. The people we helped were glad and everyone was smiling.”
“My favorite part was giving out care packages to the neighborhood people,” said Lance Stubbs, a sixteen-year-old working with his father and younger brother. “The command center gave us kits with basic care items and we gave them to anyone who needed them. Everyone seemed really grateful for the help and very glad to have us there.”
John Reed observed, “We constantly had people in the street stop us and ask for help. I probably spent nearly a quarter of my time speaking with residents explaining who we were, what we were doing, how they could get help, etc. Many expressed thanks over and over and over. All were surprised that we were doing the work for free.”
Indeed, the Church of Jesus Christ has mobilized thousands of volunteers from surrounding states since the Hurricane hit and will continue to do so until the need diminishes. The members of the Church of Jesus Christ feel strongly about serving their fellow man and with a need this great, the response was even greater. John Reed noted that he had no problem finding people for his teams. In fact, they had to expand the number of teams to accommodate extra volunteers.
“It was really humbling to see firsthand what these people were dealing with,” explained Matthew Trythall, another young man on the work team. “There was an older man living in a house where a thick tree had fallen through his roof. We worked on that for a long time, cutting it all out and we tarped up his roof. It was a super cool experience to help others. I’m so glad I went!”
