katrina havoc

went to Hattiesburg, Mississippi with my ward September 16-18 to help people clear fallen trees and repair damaged roofs. Hattiesburg is located around 100 miles from the coast, but despite this the devastation was unreal.

we got there late Friday night, set up camp under the moonlight, and got up early Saturday to work around the city.

the car in the picture had a university of new Orleans sticker, and upon further inquiry we found out that she evacuated new Orleans and came to Hattiesburg. Tough luck.


all of the streets in the city looked like this. There were trucks everywhere picking up the debris, and all the residents had to do was haul it to the side of the road. National guard, red cross, and insurance companies were everywhere too.

things were getting back to normal while I was there, but there was still lots of work to do. The people were in good spirits because their electricity and cable had recently been turned on again. However, walmart would take cash only.

the highlight of the trip was the anheiser-busch water that one guy gave us. yum.