Droplets from the Ocean of Love

Gratitude Springs from Disaster

By Lucky Saint, Virginia, USA (Originally in English)

While conducting relief work in Biloxi, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina struck the area in August 2005, a team of initiates and I drove past an elderly man living under a plastic tarpaulin outside his home in extremely hot, humid conditions. We then stopped our vehicle to distribute relief items to the man and other local disaster victims.

As the supplies were being handed out, a younger man, the elderly man’s roommate, relayed the following thrilling survival story to us. When the Hurricane struck, the older man evacuated the house while the younger man stayed behind, thinking he could ride out the storm. However, when the house collapsed, the only way out was through a window, which he had to break in order to escape. After managing to extricate himself from the building, the water was already over his head so he swam to the second floor of another home and knocked on the window. At first the owner did not respond, but after several knocks the owner finally opened the window and allowed him to enter.

As the flood waters rose rapidly the man worriedly asked the owner, “What will we do if the water comes up to the second floor?” and the owner calmly answered, “We’ll climb to the roof.” Then the young man asked, “What if the water rises to the roof?” and again the owner calmly replied, “We’ll climb up the tree next to the house.” However, according to a local radio broadcast, the water was expected to recede at 10:00 PM so the young man nervously looked at the clock. He then noted that it was already 9:00 PM but the water was still rising! Fortunately, by 10:00 PM, the water did recede, and for several days thereafter the young man survived by retrieving water bottles and canned food that he found floating in the water.

The elderly gentleman then revealed that when the worst of the flooding was over he returned to his home to see that the building had collapsed. However, strangely, the walls and roof of the house next to his were still intact, only the foundation was missing. Some pieces of furniture were even still inside although everything had been turned upside down and soaked with salt water. And amazingly, the house was not his neighbor’s but one that had been transported by the strong flood waters from far away, coming over the neighbor’s fence and landing next to his house!

Caption: The white house on the left was transported by flood waters
and stands next to an old man’s collapsed home.

After listening to the survivors’ stories, we gave them relief items, some gas-powered lights and financial aid, and upon receiving the gifts the elderly man thanked Master for Her kindness and suddenly burst into tears. Seeing this display of emotion, I also began to cry!

Then after days of driving around on empty streets with no open stores or gas stations and no functioning traffic lights in a city full of collapsed buildings, we were finally happy to see that some businesses were beginning to re-open, some traffic lights were working and some people were beginning to return to their pre-hurricane lifestyle. That day I thought to myself gratefully, “For the first time in my life I actually enjoy stopping for red lights and being stuck in heavy traffic!”