Real-Life 'Guardian Angels' Help Katrina Victims Resettle

Oct. 5, 2005 — -- An estimated 273,000 people were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, many with just the clothes on their backs. As families struggle to cope and rebuild in new locations one month later, many are being helped along by real-life guardian angels.

The Burton family left New Orleans with empty hands. Now, thanks to a small Seattle church, the family has a new home, new clothes, phone cards, and access to new jobs.

Pastor Paul Burnham challenged his 100-member congregation, and together they raised $4,000 and donated a house. Burnham also spent $600 on new clothes for the family and helped the family's teenage boys rent tuxedos for their homecoming dance.

He enrolled the Burton children in school and helped the family negotiate FEMA red tape, dialing the agency's help number personally and coaching Sandra Burton on what to say.

Assisting the Burton family is a 90-day project for Burnham and his church, designed to have the family fully independent by Thanksgiving.

"There's just major opportunity for them to get back up on their feet, maybe like they never were before," said Burnham.

In Houston, another family was taken in by a "guardian angel." Beth Wardecke, a laid-off banker from Ohio, flew to Texas just to volunteer. She lived off her severance package while helping dozens of families, including the Gaspers -- a family of ten.

Eager to Help

"They really looked distraught," Wardecke said. "I just went up and said, 'Can I help you in any way?'"

She found the family a pick-up truck to haul 30 boxes of their belongings from their shelter to a hotel and later to their new apartment. Perhaps most importantly, Wardecke also has a gift for breaking through red tape.

"I just knew if I got here, I would be able to help them get through all that bureaucracy. I'm good at it," she said.

The payoff, says Wardecke, was the moment her adopted family walked into their new apartment.

Across the country, other guardian angels are donating their cash and time. Norm Vaux of Colorado Springs, Co., evacuated families via private buses and helped them start new lives in the Rockies. He also bought them tickets to a baseball game and hosted a gumbo dinner.

"Certainly there's no financial gain," Vaux said. "There's no personal agenda that I know of. But there's a spiritual aspect that come out of us in these times."

ABC News' Jim Avila filed this report for "World News Tonight.