Resiliency, trust—and Meatloaf Mondays: recollections from Katrina response

Heat and humidity. Fresh shrimp. Devastation. Trust. Stagnant smells. Blessings.

A rollercoaster of memories rolled out from Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers who responded to Hurricane Katrina 20 years ago.

During the aftermath of the devastating hurricane, Kathy and Norm Gerber, who served with MDS as a cook and a construction supervisor, respectively, had just moved from Ohio to Harrisonburg, Virginia, where they still reside.

“We learned to adapt to a different climate,” said Norm, recalling the early days on the hot, sticky Gulf Coast. He and Kathy first learned about MDS from their Realtor, whose family member had volunteered.

“I was a young 60 at the time, and I was amazed at how willing the young people were to pitch in,” said Norm. “I’m so grateful for them.”

What he most remembers about the volunteers—is that they wanted to be there.

Norm and Kathy worked with many young people, among them Alicia Hertzler, who had just enrolled in the Disaster Management Program at Hesston College. “It was a hot summer,” agreed Hertzler, who joyfully connected with the Gerbers online in August 2025 after not seeing them for more than a decade.

Hertzler remembers how the Gerbers helped the group quickly feel like a family. “I came with very little construction experience, and I just remember the absolute patience Norm had,” she said.

For Kathy, cooking became a way to meet local people. “Some of them brought a cooler full of shrimp,” she said.

The Gerbers and Hertzler remembered the devastation, too.

“I couldn’t imagine living the way people lived at that time,” said Norm. “Some of them ended up living in little campers.”

Hertzler remembers the post-flood smell, with water still in the streets after nearly a month since Hurricane Katrina made landfall. “Everything just smelled foul—not alive,” she said. “You could also see the shrimp boats washed really far up on land, and see the water lines on buildings.”

All three of them remember blocks on which houses were simply washed away, with only foundations, stilts, or damaged pieces remaining.

“We also learned to understand the deep-rootedness of people who wanted to stay there,” said Hertzler. “Maybe their mom, grandmom, kids, had been there for all this time, and the house and the shrimp boat had been passed down, and passed down.”

Norm also recalled the unprecedented media exposure MDS received. “A lot of money came in, and so we thanked the media for help with that!” he said. “MDS had funds to buy equipment, and we had nice pickup trucks.”

He also had to remind himself to slow down and teach the next generation of volunteers. “We did take more time to teach volunteers how to do something, correctly and slowly,” he said.

Kathy faithfully held “Meatloaf Monday,” recalling that she did repeat some recipes—like the popular meatloaf—but tried to change things up, too. “I was thinking about what 12 pounds of hamburger would cost now!” she said. “The kids were so resilient and kind.”

All three also remembered card games in the evenings, and other fun activities that built a family feeling among volunteers—a feeling that also emerged as trust from the community.

The Gerbers, who served as long-term volunteers for three summers, saw how honesty, presence, and listening paved the way for that community trust.

“After awhile inspectors came to trust the work MDS did,” said Norm. “It was good to see the locals appreciated the work.”

That trust reverberated into their spiritual lives, too.

“We would go to a local church in Diamond, Louisiana,” remembered Kathy. “The pastor would call people up to the altar. It was a pentecostal church—and he would walk back to where we were sitting and give us a blessing—right where we were.

“I remember learning to understand how it’s really common after a disaster for people to be taken advantage of, and how MDS showed people that we weren’t going anywhere,” said Hertzler. “You could see posters with this contractor, and that contractor, urging you to call.”

Volunteers built a ramp for a homeowner who had trouble accessing her home, and Hertzler recalled the homeowner, in tears, hugging the volunteers. “She said: ‘I just didn’t think somebody would do this for me,’ “ said Hertzler.

Monday Meatloaf

12 # ground beef

4t. Salt

2t. Pepper

2 1/4c. Onion, chopped

9 eggs

4c. Milk

6c. Oatmeal

Topping:

4 1/2 c. Ketchup

1 c. Brown sugar

3T. Mustard

Mix all ingredients well. Shape into 3 loaves    (use 12×18 inch steam pans). Spread ketchup, brown sugar and mustard  over the tops of loaves. Add bacon strips on top. Cover with foil and bake 1 1/2 hours at 350°. Take foil off and let it brown until cooked through. Let it set 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 60 slices (30-35 hungry people)

MDS cookbook copyright 2001

Elaine Maust is a writer, spiritual director and retired pastor.  A transplant from Mississippi, Elaine now lives with her husband, Duane, in Michigan’s Thumb.