Through the Eye of a Hurricane: Rebuilding Just Communities

INTRODUCTION Hurricane Katrina, the first Category 5 hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, combined with Hurricane Rita, forever changed the Gulf Coast region and how the nation views itself. The major damage to the coastal regions of Louisiana,... More

INTRODUCTION Hurricane Katrina, the first Category 5 hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, combined with Hurricane Rita, forever changed the Gulf Coast region and how the nation views itself. The major damage to the coastal regions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama made Hurricane Katrina the costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. More than 1,000 people died in the wake of the storm and several thousands are still reported missing. As the storm surge breached the levee system that protected New Orleans and flooded 80 percent of that city, illusions about poverty, race, and environmental issues were shattered. In its place, connections about how we treat God’s creation and God’s people came into sharp focus. VULNERABLE LAND AND PEOPLE: CONNECTIONS The death, destruction, and environmental degradation in New Orleans and throughout the Gulf of Mexico region brought to light the need for a renewed covenant of community. The wind and waters that Less