The Definition of Destruction...

• Picture 1: Inside of a house that was near a levy breach just east of the 9th ward
• Picture 2: the inside of a Church Sanctuary located in the Lower 9th ward.
• Picture 3: our group is walking in the 9th ward. a neighborhood with hundreds of homes spaced very much like East Cleveland or Euclid (average lot size was 40' x 100')

Wednesday september 26th, a day that has come and gone. A day that I will never forget.

Today the 19 of us worked a half day. It met with many successes, and the anticipation of much needed rest. Rest in the form of a tour of downtown New Orleans which ended in the Lower 9th ward.


I can not begin to describe the incredible feelings that built with each stop that we had. Seeing less evidence of recovery as we got closer to the end. Seeing evidence in homes of the level of water. Seeing the piles of rubble that are over 2 years old. Seeing hundreds of drive way aprons and no evidence of homes or buildings. The realization of life affected and lost was completely overwhelming. After experiencing first hand the many accounts and evidence of this disaster, I can not express the magnitude of this event.

The definition of destruction is: The termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists. based on the events and experiences of today. I have a new definition of destruction: KATRINA

In His Service, Mark Ritchey