Local men help clean up after Hurricane Katrina

Ken Johnston

For the second time Rainy River’s Pat Giles and Jerry Galusha have returned from a trip down south from which they saw vast devastation and did their best to offer help.
Last year the pair went with Samaritan’s Purse to Grenada to provide hurricane relief. This year the trip was closer to home. They went to ground zero of Hurricane Katrina.
Originally Giles said he was hoping to go to Lebanon to do relief work, but the trip was cancelled for safety reasons. So he and Jerry signed up for a trip to Louisiana.
They left on November 6th and returned on the 19th. Giles said he had a few delays at the border since immigration was worried he was going to take jobs away from Americans. However, his efforts were strictly voluntary and eventually he was allowed to go.
They travelled to the Gulf Port, Biloxi and Pass Christian area, the latter being where they did most of their work. They basically worked on clean up detail.
“Mud out was the term they used locally,” said Giles. And when one saw the homes they were working on “mud” was appropriate. Some of the homes were completely under water. The contents of the homes were floated and swished around like a blender had been inside. That mixed with water and mud, the insides of the homes were like war zones.
Some of the homes were sealed up for the past two months and were just now getting attention. Giles and Galusha helped clean all the debris out of the homes then gut the inside of the homes. Insulation in the attics and walls was no longer any good. The gyprock was in the same boat. All had been damaged by water, unclean water to boot.
“There was mold even under the shingles,” noted Giles. After everything was hauled out and the frame of the homes stripped, they sprayed the studs, floors, rafters, etc., with disinfectant. “After that inspectors from the city had to come and look at the structure to determine if the home could be rebuilt,” said Galusha.
He noted that many families were grateful for the clean up work the 21 members of Samaritan’s Purse were doing. “They often can not afford the clean up and if the inspections said they can not rebuild then all the money they would have spent on it would have been wasted.”
The pair were amazed how many homes were in the middle of streets or moved. “They had 30-38’ water surges that lifted homes right up off their foundations and floated them away,” said Giles.
“A big casino was moved two miles down the beach,” exclaimed Galusha.
“There were homes in neighbourhoods that no one knew where they came from,” said Giles.
Both agreed that the devastation by Katrina was far worse than what they saw in Grenada. While there they worked on 45 work orders.
Pat said that whenever possible the owners of the homes were brought to the scene before they started the clean up. “One man asked us to watch for an American flag. It was given to the family when his father was killed in action during WWII. We found it and he was so happy.”
Galusha was awestruck by the wasted wood. “There were downed trees everywhere, some that were six feet in diameter twisted right off eight feet up.”
“They said there was enough lumber from the downed trees to make 675,000 homes,” said Giles. However, there was no where to put all the waste so much of it has just been hauled away like garbage.
The contents of the homes was so contaminated with mold that the workers had to wear masks. “Even so I could still smell the horrid stench,” said Giles. There were fridges and freezers that had been sitting for two months with food in them rotting.
Both were surprised at the devastation and would recommend anyone wanting to help to sign up with Samaritan’s Purse for a work mission. “I would go back today if I could,” said Galusha. Financial donations can also be made with Samaritan’s Purse which can be contacted via the internet at email: canada@samaritan.org, or by phone at (403) 250-6565.
“I worked for 50 years and would rather be a blessing to others than sit at home,” said Galusha. Both hope to do similar work again next year.