God's Grand Diversion to Grand Isle

Forty-four thousand pounds of meat and nowhere to put it! That’s what our Hurricane Katrina food relief convoy faced while sitting in the parking lot of the North Park Church of God in Meridian Mississippi.

Just three days prior, confirmed arrangements were made with the Red Cross to deliver and 18-wheeler packed with donated pre-cooked meat products and another truck packed with non-perishables. But upon arrival of our convoy from the Winton Road First Church of God (Fairfield, OH) the best of plans quickly began to unravel. Because the emergency needs and relief efforts in this disaster are fluid and daily changing, the Red Cross had just received another shipment that had packed their cold storage facilities to capacity. After hastily placing phone calls, we found that this was also the situation in other major relief organizations in the immediate region – even as far as Jackson, Mississippi.

With the help of Pastor Earl Wheatley, we were fortunate to at least make small food drops off at the Aldersgate Retirement Community and the Poplar Springs Nursing Center – both sheltering elderly hurricane victims who had been transported from flooded nursing homes. We also packed a church van full of boxed frozen meat to be delivered to Love’s Kitchen – a charity organization in Meridian, MS. However we were still desperate to make a food drop of the remaining 43,500 pounds of meat.

Then someone from Ohio called who had learned of our plight and had been making dozens of phone calls trying to help us find a place in need of food. It so happens that one man who answered the phone said, “Wait just a minute. My daughter from Grand Isle just came up for a visit and she may be able to help you.” Through this connection she forwarded the phone number that linked us to a councilman from Grand Isle, LA. Grand Isle is a fishing community on the southern most tip of Louisiana, a few hours south of New Orleans – six hours south of where we were. They said, “Come”. On the way there we learned that the island of Grand Isle nearly out of food and that they had just learned that morning that the Army Corp of Engineers had informed Grand Isle that Wednesday morning the severely damaged bridge (their only land link) would be close for three weeks for repair. Officials were scrambling to figure out a way for their relief workers and the 200 residents to survive. Then came the call telling us that they not only wanted the food, but that they were now in a position of dire need and were counting on us to deliver the food.

God’s grand diversion to Grand Isle was now in progress. We were concerned about road blocks near New Orleans but the police and National Guard freely granted us passage past road blocks.

On our last stop for diesel fuel before going any deeper into the destruction area, our situation became increasingly urgent. Something was wrong with the refer (refrigerated trailer). The temperature gauge showed a severere increase inside. There was now no turning back. Our shipment had to arrive and get unloaded quickly.

En route, Pastor Early Wheatley stayed in contact to monitor our progress. He also passed along the news that the food we loaded in his church van was gratefully received by Love’s Kitchen and that it had filled their eight empty freezers perfectly with no room to spare. It was just the right amount – something we could have not known when we were loading the van.

Upon arriving at the damaged bridge we unloaded half of the 18-wheeler by hand. A portable cold storage unit was waiting for us. We wondered why they didn’t take the entire 44,000 pounds over to Grand Isle, but that question was answered half way across the bridge. The national guard took the lead as they gave us an escort and recommended that we go very slowly and keep at least one concrete span of bridge distance between each of our trucks and car. A paramedic followed us over – just in case.

The bridge we were crossing was indeed severely damaged. Some of the damaged sections has shifted as much as 4 feet while others had broken apart and sank as much as 12 inches. Planks of wood has been placed between the sections to act as ramps between the sections.

On the other side we first unloaded the five pallets of food at the fire station where a crew of guardsmen were waiting. Then the officials cried out instructions – “take the rest to the church.” At the church, the National Guardsmen swarmed our trucks and quickly unloaded everything. As the last pallet of frozen meat was loaded into their storage unit, we noticed that it was once again a perfect fit. Like the shipment to Love’s Kitchen in Meridian earlier that day, this shipment to Grand isle was just the right amount. That could have only been orchestrated by a perfect God.

That night, the National Guard allowed us to bunk down with them at their Town Hall – one of the few structures that was not completely destroyed and that had generator power. We slept on Arm cots with Army sleeping bags just outside the door to the Mayor’s office. They kindly gave us their lunches for supper that evening and allowed us to eat breakfast with them the next morning before making what would likely be the last passage of civilians back across the damaged bridge.

Two days later, a city council member expressed his ongoing appreciation saying in a deep Cajun accent, Thank you so much! You fixed us up real good! We didn’t know what we were going to do but now we have enough food for a whole month!”

- Pastor Brian Buriff / Winton Rd. First Church of God / Fairfield, OH