We need each other': how a Black church and a white church joined forces after Hurricane Katrina

"Before the floods from Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city of New Orleans 20 years ago, Franklin Avenue Baptist church was booming. We had three morning services. We had a gymnasium, overflow rooms. Next door was the family center. There was an exercise room and library, said the Rev Fred Luter Jr, pastor of Franklin Avenue. We had just bought 90 acres of property. We were the talk of the town."

"More than 80% of the city flooded, destroying homes, businesses and historic cultural institutions. More than 1,800 people died, as more than 1 million people along the Gulf coast were displaced and damages soared beyond $120bn. As the nation reflected on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation it wreaked on the Crescent city, there were also memories of resilience and rebuilding, of hope and healing."

"Following the hurricane, two churches came together the predominantly Black Franklin Avenue Baptist and First Baptist New Orleans, a predominantly white church to provide not only a space for worship, but also offer a sense of community for traumatized residents trying to gain a sense of normalcy after the deadly floods. The Rev David Crosby (right) and the Rev Fred Luter Jr receiving keys to the city. Photograph: Lottie Joiner"

Franklin Avenue Baptist church was thriving before Hurricane Katrina, with multiple services, facilities, and recent land purchases. Hurricane Katrina made landfall on 29 August 2005, breaching levees and flooding more than 80% of New Orleans, causing over 1,800 deaths, displacing more than one million people along the Gulf coast, and generating damages beyond $120bn. Two churches — the predominantly Black Franklin Avenue Baptist and the predominantly white First Baptist New Orleans — joined to offer worship space and community for traumatized residents. In the immediate aftermath, the city lacked electricity, access was restricted, and returning residents faced checkpoints while recovery and rebuilding began.

Read at www.theguardian.com