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Living in tents, eating MRE's, serving long hours, and meeting amazing people – just a few reasons why my AmeriCorps service has been an adventure. When I joined the AmeriCorps St. Louis Emergency Response Team, I didn't expect to connect with so many people and projects. I am currently deployed to New Orleans assisting FEMA and Voluntary Agencies, something I never dreamed I would do. When I applied to become and AmeriCorps member, I thought that it might change my life. Within hours of joining I learned that it would.
Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast just over a week before my AmeriCorps orientation. I was immediately sent to D'Iberville, Mississippi. As my new teammates and I drove into the town I was blown away by the devastation. Within a few days I found it strange how I had become numb to the everyday sights of the Gulf Coast – a car stuck in a tree, a roof on a slab where a whole house once stood, or a flight of stairs leading nowhere.
While in D'Iberville we stayed on pallets in an old community center with only half a roof. The living definitely wasn't easy, but I had the opportunity to get to know some great people. By the end of our mission in D'Iberville, my team had assessed every household in the town and brought food, water, and medication to families who needed emergency supplies.It was a great first experience considering the circumstances. I remember calling home to a friend and trying to put into words how I felt serving in the wake of Katrina. It's still difficult to understand let alone articulate.
Today in New Orleans, I've seen another side of destruction and devastation. I am serving in St. Bernard Parish which directly borders the lower 9th Ward. Things are different from D'Iberville. This area not only sustained hurricane damage but was also flooded with 12-15 feet of water for at least 2 weeks.With the floodwaters came 25,000 barrels of spilled oil. Though the situation is desperate, through my weeks here I have seen smiling faces return to the parish and helping hands to guide them. I am inspired by the way people still have a smiling face and a kind word for a stranger like me.
I know that AmeriCorps has changed me, and I only hope that in return I can help AmeriCorps get things done. |
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