Burnsville couple spends eight weeks giving aid in hurricane-ravaged Biloxi, Miss.

They knew they wanted to help.

That they didn’t have a set destination didn’t matter much.

Tom and Mary Eichen began the trek south to assist with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts before they even knew to which city they were headed.

On Sept. 12, two weeks after Katrina hit, the Burnsville couple packed up their truck with tools, food, water and other supplies and set off for Mississippi.

Calling around to Southern churches via cell phone on the drive down, the couple got in contact with the pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in Biloxi, Miss.

The pastor’s message was clear: Help was desperately needed. So the Eichens headed to Biloxi, where a grim scene awaited them.

Furious winds and 30-foot waves had rocked the Gulf Coast city. Homes that hadn’t been swept away suffered as much as 12 feet of flooding.

Trash, trees and other debris lined the sides of every street. Bridges were out, fallen trees blocked access to many streets, and much of the residential property had been closed owing largely to the rapid proliferation of black mold.

More...