MADISON (WKOW)– The way we look at hurricanes changed forever 4 years ago Friday.
On August 28th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the southern coast of the United States.
An estimated 1,800 people lost there lives.
The storm caused more then $81 billion in damage.
The images of people on top of buildings, holding up signs, crying for help, became symbols of the devastation and the response.
We are recognizing one Madison woman’s commitment and compassion for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Given to people who have gone above and beyond through volunteering, Pam Murtaugh, is this month’s Jefferson award winner, and “Someone You Should Know.”
Eighteen months after Hurricane Katrina hit, Pam Murtaugh heard parts of the city still looked like the first days following storm.
“Every nook and cranny, the closet where you stored Christmas wrapping paper, the drawers where you held your canceled checks, all had been opened and washed together into this great heap by sewage and flood waters,” said Pam.
So from Madison, Pam rallied some friends and started Katrina Corps, an organization of volunteers ready and willing to do hard labor to bring New Orleans back to life.
“And, we showed up to say we’re inviting the youth of the nation to come and help us reclaim this city,” said Pam.
Volunteers give a week of their time, paying their own way.
Boots were on the ground starting Spring Break 2007. About 50 volunteers came that first week. Their mission: gut and clean out homes down to the 2 x 4′s.
“The very first week, Katrina Corps gutted more houses in a week than had ever been gutted by a particular group,” said Pam.
Pam was behind the scenes, helping to organize it all, giving her time and personal resources.
“Okay, you have to have trucks, okay, you have to have to feed people, you have to have hazmat suits, you have to have gas masks,” said Pam.
It is obvious Pam has mixed emotions about her time in New Orleans.
She now has lingering health issues from breathing in black mold.
She’s also torn between the amazing work volunteers have done and the mixed reaction they received there.
“Those that kept up appearances that they were supporting the recovery, and those that actually supporting of the recovery,” said Pam.
But Pam wouldn’t let some resistance stop her.
She was determined to help get people back into their homes.
“It was bigger than the work to be done,” said Pam. “It was honoring the families lives that had been there and making way for people to come home.”
Two and a half years later, Katrina Corps has gutted 120 homes, helped rebuild 210 homes and buildings, including schools, and has hosted more than 5,000 volunteers.
“I think she impacted a lot of lives,” said Jim Blair.
Jim Blair of Madison supported Pam’s mission and nominated her for the Jefferson Award.
“There were a lot of people who potentially would lose their home if they didn’t go through their homes and basically gut out the interior of their homes; the homes were going to be destroyed,” said Jim Blair.
“It’s this amazing gesture of love that people are making in an ongoing way that I am just grateful to have been a part of,” said Pam. “It was needed to be done and I was able to help make it happen.”
Because of her vision and commitment, Pam Murtaugh, is this month’s recipient of the Jefferson Award.
“We can’t forget the potential for power that we have to do good and that because we are alive we can change the world,” said Pam.
For more information on Katrina Corps visit: http://katrinacorps.org/