Starting Over
‘I can’t complain,’ says evacuee helped by Lutheran Disaster Response

The Lutheran | 02/01/06

Soulful lyrics and rhythms fill the tiny one-bedroom apartment where James Webber now stays in St. Louis. He's listening to Sam Cooke with The Soul Stirrers. It's music he finds inspirational, something that keeps him in good spirits and puts him at peace.

Webber, 47, is one of more than 5,500 evacuees the Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates came to Missouri after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August. More than 100 individuals who evacuated to St. Louis have sought the assistance of Lutheran Disaster Response through St. Louis-based Lutheran Family and Children's Services. A collaborative ministry of the ELCA and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, LDR receives an average of three new referrals each day from other organizations, such as the Salvation Army and United Way.

Despite these uncertain days of recovery that Webber is living after Katrina's devastation washed onto his New Orleans doorstep, he responds to "How are you doing?" with an unexpected "I can't complain." Webber's faith and upbeat attitude - and the compassion of agencies like LDR - are focused on rebuilding his future.

Webber arrived in St. Louis with two pairs of pants, two shirts and a pair of shoes. He also has a small photo album, which he pulls from his closet to flip through memories of his New Orleans house decorated at Christmastime and during Mardi Gras. He also has a snapshot of his car, a Pontiac Grand Am, that "went under," as he says.

LDR and other organizations have tended to his needs, such as basic living room furniture. But he could still use a second drinking glass-for when he offers a guest a glass of tea. And he currently sleeps on two stacked inflatable mattresses.

For the hurricane survivors, LDR facilitates a wide range of opportunities. They confirm that government paperwork has been handled properly since most clients fill out FEMA applications on their own. Case managers also refer evacuee clients to appropriate sources for their household, employment and medical needs. In Webber's case, this included eye surgery to remove cataracts.

Three years ago Webber lost his job as a sandblaster and painter due to worsening cataracts. Subsequently he lost the insurance he needed to correct the problem.

With regained vision, Webber says, "I feel like I've been born again. Man, it's a whole new world." Pointing out a carpet burn in his living room from a previous tenant's clothes iron, he says, "You see that? That looks good to me because I can see it."

Webber praises God and the support of his LDR case manager, Pat Schmiz, for helping him receive the eye surgery and compassion he needed. "Miss Pat is a sweet, concerned woman," he says. "When I was at the motel, Miss Pat would call just to see how I was doing. You know how that feels, when not even family was calling me, but she did?"

Soon Webber hopes to find work, improving his strides to re-establish himself in St. Louis after having lost everything in New Orleans.

Schmiz's colleague at LDR, Seema Chouhan, says all their clients have had positive attitudes. Many consider themselves blessed to have help. "They are all grateful," she says. "They've gone through the worst any of us can imagine, and they're still positive.

"But the challenge is far from over for them," she adds.

Despite having plenty of reasons to complain, Webber doesn't. Instead he's living by faith and patience, one day at a time. His advice to others: "Keep trust and faith in God. It's the only way out. It's the only way I got out."

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