The last shall be first

Katrina | Disaster relief in Orange County, Calif., has an unusual twist: A faith-based organization is in charge | Lynn Vincent

Watching Hurricane Katrina's building fury, Rachel Coleman, 19, evacuated from New Orleans to Texas on Aug. 27, two days before the storm stomped ashore. Her experience with other hurricanes told her she'd be back at her job as a placement-service secretary in two, three days max. But after flood waters swept through the Crescent City, there was little left to go back to. Her single mom had died the previous year of breast cancer, her extended family had fled across four states, and her job was under water.

In Texas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) told Ms. Coleman she was "not a serious case." So when a friend offered her refuge in Orange County, Calif., she headed west. En route, at a Tucson motel, she signed onto the internet and found Operation OC, a Katrina relief group in Orange County.

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October 15, 2005, Vol. 20, No. 40

Rita: After the storms Oct. 8, 2005	Rita: Strike 2 Oct. 1, 2005	New Orleans: Starting over Sep. 24, 2005
Katrina: Week 2 Sep. 17, 2005	Katrina: Unnatural disaster Sep. 10, 2005	Salting Hollywood Sep. 3, 2005