Katrina Food Relief
FFL Gulfcoast was the first organization to go out with food relief after the devastating Hurricane Katrina. We were already distributing food to hurricane survivors the second day after the storm. In the two weeks after Katrina, we served over 5,000 meals. While other organizations poured into the Gulf Coast area after the storm, we took a short break while we repaired and reorganized our headquarters at New Talavan, which was also hit by the storm.
Only two days after the storm, we cleared our roads of fallen trees and courageous New Talavan devotees ventured into the hardest-hit areas of the Gulf Coast, braving fields of debris, vast stretches of noxious quickmud, and crazed gas-hungry locals to distribute Lord Krsna's mercy in the form of sanctified vegetarian food. Despite reports of people being held up at gunpoint to feed gas-hungry SUVs and pickups, the devotees journeyed to Gulfport and Biloxi to bring hot meals of red beans and rice, chapattis and lemonade to the starving residents.
New Orleans devotee Ramakeli Prabhu, who lost everything in the hurricane, collected donations and supplies in Memphis and transported them to New Talavan by back rads to avoid the police roadblocks, while New Talavan devotee Dvibhuja Prabhu, whose rental property lost its roof in the storm, devoted his full time and energy to prasadam distribution in the Gulf Coast area.
They reported a scene of almost total devastation with very little help for the victims. The aged and infirm were hardest hit, often immobilized with no one to help them. The devotees went door-to-door in the affected areas near the coast, bringing back striking tales of devastation and woe.
Meanwhile, Priyavrata Prabhu of Food for Life International and New Talavan GBC Bir Krsna Gosvami organized a massive food relief program. Teams of devotees from Washington DC, New Vrndavan and other volunteers are cooperating to bring tons of food, outdoor cooking gear, temporary tent shelters and other needed equipment to New Talavan, which will serve as a base for expanded prasadam distribution throughout the devastated Gulf Coast area. A temporary outdoor kitchen was set up, and hundreds of meals were cooked and distributed to Biloxi, Gulfport and other hard-hit areas.
Just before the storm hit, Krsna provided a state-of-the-art satellite Internet system for the farm. Who knew that it would have to serve as the sole communications link for an entire community, cut off from the rest of the world by this tragic disaster! Just see Krsna's hand and careful planning to protect His devotees in this miraculous occurrence.