November 10, 2014- New Orleans was devastated by floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 due to multiple levee failures; moving forward, improvements are being made along multiple lines of defense in order to effectively manage the risk from large storms.

October 10, 2014- “So, is everyone back yet?” This is an inevitable question when discussing New Orleans post-Katrina, and the short answer is no, after almost a decade there are about 100,000 residents who have not yet come back. But many are still working on it.

August 28, 2014- In many ways, New Orleans’ story is also the story of 21st-century America. We have a lot of work to do, but we also have many new opportunities to use our God-given personal gifts and resources to do it.

May 22, 2013- I had left the familiar hilly suburbs of Northern Virginia for a deltaic landscape dominated by canals and muggy bayous. I would call the Crescent City home as I completed my internship with Camp Restore. What would unfold over the next three months will leave a distinct mark on my life.

March 31, 2013- Another great bunch of Alternative Spring Breakers put in a solid week of service across the Greater New Orleans area – check out their photos!

March 15, 2013- Thanks to volunteers who gave time and money for materials, we’ve been able to restore Otha’s house this winter, with work including a new roof, siding, electric, plumbing with a handicap shower, window, subfloor, insulation, drywall, painting, doors, floor tile, kitchen cabinets and finally a ramp.

The story that there is a storm ‘out there’ has been a major story since last Thursday. It has been a long time. It will hit seven years to the day since Katrina. There are questions about the levees and about all the preparations we have made. How will what we have done stand up to a storm? We will find out soon.

Isn’t it amazing what we can achieve when we come together? I always think two is better than one, a family is more powerful than an individual, and (as I often say around the office) team work makes the dream work.

Commemoration on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.