Shelter In The Storm
An account of Zakat Foundation’s response to Hurricane Katrina
It has been called the greatest natural disaster in American history. The devastation that only took a few hours to occur on the 28th of August, 2005 has left a scar on the face of the gulf coast that will not soon fade. From Chicago, Pennsylvania and North Carolina the voluntary response team of Zakat Foundation descended upon the devastated region to provide much needed supplies and compassion for the victims of hurricane Katrina.
Within a few hours of the team being assembled in Baton Rouge, our team was hard at work unloading the much-needed supplies to Islamic centers and local churches which were all operating as shelters for the displaced residents of New Orleans. We were able to provide new clothing, clean water, food, eating utensils, blankets and even toys to provide comfort to the children of the storm. Though our physical presence only lasted a few weeks, ZF continued to send aid and support through the Islamic Center of Baton Rouge.
In December of 2005, ZF sought to once again head a group into the still devastated area of New Orleans and provide food to those most in need. We were able to distribute over 200 food packages, each of which sufficient to provide for a family for at least a week’s meals. Since this distribution was in the middle of the holiday season, we also handed out candy treats for the children in the poor communities. We were greeted with many smiles and it brought joy to us to provide for these people whom so much of America had already forgotten.
In the shadow of the beast that was Katrina, emerging from the flooded gulf coast there surfaced an army of volunteers who labored endlessly to provide hope to those who had none.
Back To Top
Katrina: A Catastrophe in Review
By Duston Barto
When I was first asked to go into the gulf coast after it had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina, my first thoughts were “Why me? What can I do?” I had no training and no experience in disaster relief and had only heard of Zakat Foundation within the last few months! Yet I was available and the need was great, so I went prepared to do anything from serving food to rescuing people trapped in homes to the grim task of recovering bodies. When I arrived in Baton Rouge in early September, I found a situation much different than it had been depicted on television. My first nervous steps from the airplane were full of caution and fear – fear which quickly subsided when Zakat Foundation director Halil Demir greeted me in the airport. With a warm smile and greeting, I knew that I was going to be working with a great team.
Within just a few short hours we were busily unpacking a truckload of supplies into the Islamic centers in Baton Rouge to help them in supporting the displaced victims of the greatest natural disaster in American history. We were welcomed with open arms into the Muslim community, and the desperate faces of those we sought to help were wide with smiles of appreciation. We sought out people to help outside the Muslim community once we were certain that both Masjids acting as shelters were cared for. A local Baptist church was not only acting as a shelter, but had the facilities to be a storehouse for supplies to all area shelters. The people of Istrouma Baptist Church were overjoyed to receive aid from the Muslim community. After unloading supplies, fellow volunteer Daniel and I were able to talk to the leaders in the church and express to them how glad it makes the Muslim ummah to help all in need.
Following the immediate distribution of aid, I remained in Baton Rouge as a point of contact for Zakat Foundation and to make arrangements for doctors to gain access to work in the Katrina Zone. I did my best and only with the grace of Allah (SWT) was I able to accomplish such challenging tasks. Even to this day I have to praise Allah’s guidance and wisdom in leading me to the places and people to achieve the goals which allowed me to help people.
I found people that had been rescued from their homes and saved from death only to face complete despair in the face of loss and displacement. Of all the tasks I had envisioned myself undertaking and for which I had been preparing, the simple act of taking time to listen to people’s expressions of grief was not among them, and yet it seemed the most needed. I was compelled to listen to each person as I was approached, and Allah made it easy for me to understand their needs and help them find the contacts needed to make things right again. Though FEMA failed to provide immediate aid or make it easy for victims to understand the complex application process, I worked to understand it and help displaced citizens gain what funds they could to begin the rebuilding process.
Leaving Baton Rouge after only a couple of weeks was a difficult thing to do; I knew that there was work left to be done and people that still needed aid. Yet I left knowing that, through the mighty guidance of Allah, I was able to leave the people in a better state than I found them. I had made many friends and have memories for the rest of my life.
Back To Top
Update December 2005
The holiday season found me eagerly returning to Louisiana for the purposes of food distribution to the poor families in still-devastated New Orleans and in Baton Rouge. It was a joyous reunion with people I had met in my September journey - many of who became volunteers to provide aid this time around.
In September I spent much time with an evacuee from New Orleans named Idris; he and I forged a lifelong bond of brotherhood. During December’s trip I found him eagerly providing aid to the poor communities of Baton Rouge, even though he was still displaced from his own home in New Orleans. Having such a dedicated brother made easy the task of locating other volunteers and securing warehouse space to assemble the food packages.
With the help of Idris and sisters Ruby and Susu, over 200 food packages were assembled in less than a day’s time. The following day, brother Idris and I loaded a truck full of the packages and distributed them to exceptionally grateful people in several communities within New Orleans and Baton Rouge. It brought great joy into our hearts to give food to people, some of which told us they had not eaten in days. After our food packages had been delivered and we had gotten uncounted hugs, well wishes and emotional thanks, Idris and I were able to return with an empty truck and full hearts.
While acting as a representative of Zakat Foundation, I was afforded the chance to help people on a personal level. What I saw as an American crushes me still. I saw the massive population centers of New Orleans laid to a wasteland as a result of nature’s fury combined with politicians’ neglect. I watched helplessly as people that I had come to care about continued to suffer under the neglectful eye of a population whose attention span lasts only slightly longer than the latest pop music video.
But I also saw, rising from the destruction, a small army of people who cared enough to put their own lives aside and assemble to fight the hunger, strife, and despair caused by Katrina. I saw people of all faiths and backgrounds coming together to lend a hand, bandage a wound, and dry a tear. It is only with this sentiment and with this conviction can we as Americans, as Muslims, and, most importantly, as humanity continue our existence on this planet.
In the shadow of the beast that was Katrina and emerging from under the floodwaters of the gulf, I saw hope.
Back To Top
The Story of Nathan "Idris" Lewis
From Victim to Volunteer, the Story of one Katrina Survivor
Through the efforts of Zakat Foundation in September, one of the many displaced citizens which benefited from our work was 65-year old Idris Lewis. After surviving the storm, the destructive flooding of his home and a near-fatal snakebite (received while rescuing others) Idris specifically asked to go to the Islamic Center of Baton Rouge rather than the shelter provided by Red Cross so that he could worship and be nearer to Allah (SWT).
Idris was not content to rest idly by while the poor communities around him suffered after the storm. Through the rest of the year he sought to find materials and supplies and direct them to people in need. Idris received permission to dismantle items in an apartment building slated for demolition and thereby provided elderly couples with water heaters, cabinets and ceiling fans. Sickened by the amount of waste that he saw among some relief programs, Idris sought out leftover parts of donations and gathered items that were being left to trash because of the low quantity. By gathering these items, Idris was able to amass a great stockpile of items to give to others in need.
When Zakat Foundation returned in December, we discovered the level of work that he had done already and were amazed at his willingness to volunteer even more. He did all this in spite of the fact that he had received nothing from the government aid applied for in September, having only been able to live on food donations and the rent paid for by Muslim charities.
Nathan Lewis gave out of his heart to everyone, because to him there are no black or white, no rich or poor; there are only humans in need and he feels that it is his duty to give. In the emerging world of the 21st century, where the venom of discrimination penetrates the fabric of humanity, it is only with the life of charity that is exemplified in the actions of people like him that we can hope to survive.
Back To Top
The Foundation's First Letter to Supporters..!
Assalam Alaykum, peace be upon you,
Death and destruction. Confusion and despair. Anger and desperation. With a furious rage, Hurricane Katrina has dashed peace, prosperity, and even hope. An uncertain number of hundreds are dead; some bodies still float unattended in hazardous waters; some bodies lie amidst rubble and debris; some are destined to remain lost forever to human eyes. Over a million are homeless and without even the most basic of survival necessities. An unknown number of people still cling to rooftops and sob in attics as they wait to be rescued --although, to the victims, would-be rescuers seem ignorant of the desperate plight. Rage and despair has gripped the very souls of survivors; having survived Katrina, some have not survived their own grief as they succumbed to the taunt of hopelessness and became suicide victims.
The only hope of these broken people is the hope of Allah, and we are His instruments. The Zakat Foundation has joined forces with the American Red Cross to distribute water and food, but we are in need of both volunteers and donations. Allah asks us to represent Him by sharing our gifts of time, money, energy, and resources. Please be the most excellent of representatives today by giving of yourself and your money to the Zakat Foundation.
If you can volunteer, please commit to at least three weeks in the hurricane area. Coordinate your service with the Zakat Foundation by calling (708) 499-6151, or coordinate with your local Red Cross center.
Please send any amount of monetary donation you can afford. Make your check or money order payable to the Zakat Foundation and mark your memo line, Katrina.
Thank you, and may Allah bless and keep you.
Back To Top