Inspire, Winter 2005

22 Winter 2005 L ike most of the world, Tami Lockwood Alexander ’91 was glued to the television when Hurricane Katrina hit the coast of her home state. Tami lives in Ruston, Louisiana — about six hours north of New Orleans. Her husband, Dee, is the music minister at Christ Community Church where many members have family from areas devastated by the hurricanes. “As the storm approached I prayed for the safety of everyone I knew,” Tami recalled. Realizing that many people would need shelter, Tami prayed and began calling her friends to get a count of how many family members they would be taking in. “Within 24 hours our church families took in 265 family members, along with their dogs, cats, birds, fish, and even iguanas,” Tami said. In response, Tami and others began cooking and taking meals to the expanded families. Soon her church set up a place to feed the families a daily meal. It was exhausting, but rewarding. Tami explained, “I served at church every day and went around talking to everyone, hugging them, listening to their stories, wiping their tears.” The city of Ruston took in 5,000 people. Many refugees lived in the civic center and some in local churches, while others stayed at Louisiana Tech in Ruston. “We had about 300 children enrolled in our schools. Tulane University in New Orleans took a lot of damage, so their football team lived on campus,” Tami commented. When the levees broke, everyone knew the evacuees would be staying for a long while. In response, Tami and her church family began gathering things to clothe and assist those displaced by the storm. “Many of these people did not think to leave with more than just a couple of days clothing, so I gathered baby clothes, adult clothes, and kids clothes,” Tami explained. “My kids even got involved with giving their toys and books when they found out that these children had lost it all. I also did a rotation of laundry duty for evacuees at the laundromat.” It was a very quick and coordinated effort, which Tami said was to the Lord’s credit. “I saw His hand move — not mine,” she reflected. There were tough moments. One day, immediately after the hurricane, Tami went to the local library. There she was, surrounded by weeping adults and Coming Together in Crisis T a m i L o c k w o o d A l e x a n d e r ’ 9 1 children who were looking at pictures of their eradicated neighborhoods. Tami introduced herself to one of the distraught adults and his family. Donald was a personal trainer from a prestigious gym in New Orleans (which was then underwater). He was very frustrated, so Tami knelt down next to him and asked him and his family to tell her their story. Tami learned that they had driven to a state park in Ruston where they were living in a motor home while trying to find out about family and friends, as well as how to pay bills, get in touch with FEMA and the Red Cross, and tend to other related matters. After hearing his story, Tami said, “I gave him my name and number, and I took his.” And then she invited them to dinners at her church and helped make other contacts for them. “I told Donald I was praying for him, and he thanked me for being a friend. It was God!” she added. Tami still keeps in touch with Donald. She has learned he is back in New Orleans, training clients and doing demolition work. His house is completely gone, and he plans to file for bankruptcy. Many of the refugees who earlier fled to Ruston are gone. Some have moved back to attempt to either clean up, sell, or live with someone else. “Still some,” Tami said, “are presently in Ruston and are selling their properties, putting their kids in our schools, and finding jobs. I have one family in my community group who is here to stay.” In the aftermath, Christ Community Church remains connected with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in New Orleans, offering financial and labor assistance. Reaching out to the victims has been bittersweet for Tami. While it is a blessing to help, it is emotionally hard to see their suffering. “I am brokenhearted for these people,” Tami said. “I pray for them and send a little money to them when I can. I keep telling myself that God is in control and that He has a plan and a purpose.” Tami and Dee have three children: Johnathan (6), Emogene (4), and Chloe (2). Dee is the minister of music at Christ Community Church in Ruston, Louisiana, and he and Tami enjoy working on theatre projects together for the city, church, and university. You may e-mail Tami at tamilenae@hotmail.com .