This is what I looked like for most of the trip (party because I had to wear the same clothes for a week). A huge camera in hand and a huge backpack with all of my belongings for the week strapped to my back. Have a mentioned that it was hot? Photo by Carol Patterson.
The Photos
I was sent by CityTeam to document in photos the work that they are doing in the Gulf Coast area: two locations in Louisiana, and three in Mississippi. Pathfinding relief teams had been sent out almost a month ago, and I was eager to get into the area and not only photograph, but help out where ever I could.
A quick disclaimer: I am by no means a professional photographer. I'm somewhat of a serious enthusiast. With friends who are fellow amateur photographers and a brother in the photo journalism program at Brooks, photography easily became an addicting hobby (epecially since Caleb was born). I love taking pictures, and I am blessed to be able to do something that I enjoy for part of my job.
I chose the best out of the hundreds of pictures I took, edited them and divided them into geographical locations. Read the captions, as they provide insight into what is going on in each location. All photos were taken by me unless noted in the caption.
Bethany World Prayer Center, Baton Rouge, LA
At Bethany, CityTeam is running two shelters on their large campus. A team of 30 CityTeam staff and volunteers manage all aspects of shelter work from a bed at night to hot meals.
This was the first stop on my trip, and though I was blocked from taking photos of the evacuees themselves without their consent, I was able to get some good shots.
Victory Fellowship Church, New Orleans , LA
The team I was attached to was assigned to help at a distribution center in New Orleans, so I jumped at the chance to go into the city (Baton Rouge is 80 miles outside of New Orleans).
What we found when we got there was an organized operation with served 1000 cars per day from 10 am to 4 pm. I got a chance to help out with the food and clothing distribution as well.
New Orleans City Proper
With the other two members of the Marketing team, Carol and Brandon, we drove right into the most badly devastated areas of New Orleans. Fortunately, it happened to be the same day that officials began letting people back into the city, so there weren't as many checkpoints as before.
There was plenty of damage, especially in New Orleans East, where we were often blocked from going further by flooding and downed trees.
2nd St. Shelter, Bay St. Louis, MS
From New Orleans we drove to the Bay St. Louis Area of Mississippi--ground zero where Katrina made landfall.
New Orleans was badly damaged, but Bay St. Louis and Waveland were even worse. CityTeam had setup a shelter and distribution center in one area, a shelter in another, and was helping rebuild a church in another.
Powerhouse of Deliverance Church, Bay St. Louis, MS
The most physically demanding work of all the CityTeam Relief Teams was this team's work in rebuilding the Powerhouse of Deliverance Church near the 2nd St. Shelter. It was already a horrible 90 degrees with 90% humidity in Mississippi, and working on the roof raised the temperature to 118! Once the church is rebuilt, it will be a staging area for food and clothing distribution for the community.
Waveland Press Conference, Waveland, MS
While we were in Bay St. Louis, CityTeam got word from the EOC that they had 24 hours to leave the 2nd St. Shelter. Trying to save the 2nd street shelter from being shut down, CityTeam makes an appeal to the community during a press conference in Waveland, MS.
If you would like to find out more about the work that CityTeam is doing in the Gulf Coast region, see the latest updates on their hurricane relief efforts on their website. If you feel led to make a donation, be sure to type "Tim Malabuyo" in the comments field of online donation form (This is so they can track the relationship to you, the donor).