Out of tragedy, there is usually some good to emerge. In the case of Hurricane Katrina, that good came in the form of residents helping one another — and complete strangers coming in from faraway places to volunteer in relief and recovery efforts.

Five years later, the lines between these visitors and the residents they serve have become blurred. For many volunteers, temporary mission trips have turned into extended stays — even permanent residence.

“Almost all of our staff are people who are not from down here,” says Lindsay Asker, volunteer coordinator with Mission on the Bay, a joint program by the Episcopal and Lutheran churches to coordinate volunteers in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. “They just came to volunteer and then somehow over time they ended up staying and have become part of the staff and ended up making their lives here, living here. Some people have met people down here and gotten married. So, it’s been a great experience for all of us.”

Mission on the Bay is closing its doors as funding priorities shift to more recent disasters. Nevertheless, Mississippi’s recovery from Hurricane Katrina is far from complete.

As I drive along the coast with producer David Lewkowict and photographer Cappy Cochran, we notice how some renovated areas look better than before the storm, while other neighborhoods still show scars from Katrina — boarded up buildings, bare foundations.

Many estimate it will take at least another five years before this region fully recovers from Katrina. Despite dwindling funds, many of the volunteers-turned-residents we met say they plan to be a part of the recovery. After all, it’s their home too.