Katrina Survivors Lend a Hand to Arkansas

Feb. 5, 2009— -- Franklin Barrow, a mechanic from Lake Charles, La., is a diligent worker. When it came time for the 69-year old to take a much-deserved vacation, Barrow, along with his two grown sons, James and Kinney, and their close friend Lucien Jones, chose an unusual vacation destination -- Carroll County, Ark.

The Barrows and Jones drove 500 miles from their Louisiana home Sunday to help communities clean up the mess from last month's ice storm that knocked out power to more than 350,000 Arkansas residents.

The group volunteers through the Louisiana chapter of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, which trains its members to safely assist in disaster zones. The American Red Cross and Salvation Army call in volunteer troops for disaster assistance.

"Well, it's just fun," said Jones. "What else can I say?"

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief matched the Barrows with the Freeman Heights Baptist Church in Berryville, Ark. The team sleeps on cots at the church, and the congregation makes breakfast, lunch and dinner for the men every day.

"It's just so wonderful that these people care enough about somebody they don't even know, haven't ever heard of, that they will come here and help us," said Kay Phillips, coordinator of the Arkansas Baptist Relief Association.

The Louisiana team is able to clear up a dozen home sites a day; it gives priority to widows, the elderly, the disabled and those with special needs.

"That's one of his commandments, to take care of the widows and the orphans and those in need," James said.

The Barrows and Jones are returning a favor. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, they all received an outpouring of help in rebuilding and want to give back.

"It's just a blessing what they done, really! I cried and cried and cried," said one elderly resident, who received help from the men.

Nadine Snow, a resident of Carroll County is a widow. Snow said her husband, who died three years ago, would have known what to do with their storm-ravaged yard, but she didn't.

Volunteers Share Community's Hardship

"That can be a very lost feeling," said Snow wistfully.

Enter the Barrow boys, who spent the day hauling, clearing and chopping through Snow's yard. Kinney, who is in his 40s, climbs the trees with a "pole saw" to cut limbs.

"My brother, he's the youngest guy on the crew, so we let him do most of the climbing, in case he falls he can recover faster than the rest of us," James Barrow said, joking.

The work to be done in northern Arkansas is tremendous. It's the worst damage from an ice storm in the area in decades. Millions of trees are down as far as the eye can see -- some of which are more than 100 years old.

The volunteer group knows that its efforts will make only a tiny dent, but that's more than enough.

"If it makes a difference to just one person, it's worthwhile, because that's her world," said Kinney Barrow. "It's such a good feeling. You'll know it in your heart when you do it. You can just tell the difference."

While the Barrows train for disaster relief, they said, the more the merrier.

"Anybody can do what we do. Maybe you're not able to run a chain saw or climb a tree, but you can grab a limb, pick it up and move it a ways if you need to. There's always something anybody can do," Kinney said.

"The whole thing's about love. Just loving on people," James said. "It's an encouraging thing."