Project Overview
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region,
the largest natural disaster in United States history. Among the
communities hardest hit was a small town of 300 people 25 miles South
of New Orleans, Phoenix, Louisiana. Phoenix was battered by winds
and flooding from Katrina as well as flooding by Rita. The area was
under water for over a month. Before the hurricanes,
there were approximately 160 homes in the community, but only 25
survived. Though their homes and lives were devastated, those who
returned are strong and have resolved to rebuild their lives and community. Zion Travelers Baptist Church was the
first structure restored and has taken a leadership role in the relief
effort, establishing the Zion Travelers Community Center. The community
is characterized by a strong common faith in God. Most of the families
have lived in the community for several generations, dating back before
the civil war.
Covenant World Relief in partnership with Hillcrest Global Missions and
Hands of Hope Ministries in Plaquemines Parish, LA, sent advance
teams to Phoenix to work with the leadership of the town in planning
the reconstruction and making preparations to house volunteers for
short term mission trips. Covenant churches and others from outside the
denomination have expressed interest in partnering with CWR to help the
residents of Phoenix recover from this disaster. Our hope is to help
homeowners get out of their FEMA trailers and back into homes by
restoring damaged homes and rebuilding homes that were destroyed.
Recent Developments
Construction on the first new home began over the Thanksgiving weekend in 2006 when more than 120 volunteers converged on Phoenix from 12 churches in six states. Today, over 10 new homes are in process and more than 17 existing homes have been renovated. In addition to building and restoring homes we have helped restore two churches for housing volunteers and a large kitchen for cooking for the groups.
Currently we have expanded our work on to the west bank and partnered with Rev. Theodore Turner of Mt. Olive Baptist Church and Hands of Hope Ministries to build new homes in Port Sulfer and Boothsville, LA.