The dual hurricanes that devastated New Orleans in 2005 laid bare not just physical destruction but profound questions about divine justice, human responsibility, and the role of spiritual care in disaster response. Through first-person ethnographic documentation of body recovery operations after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, this account reveals how interfaith chaplains became crucial bridges between grieving families, recovery workers, and the deceased. As a rabbi serving with Disaster Chaplaincy Services in October 2005, I chronicle the physical and emotional landscape of a shattered city, navigating federal disaster response bureaucracies while collaborating with Kenyon International's professional recovery teams. Participant observation methodology illuminates critical systemic failures, including inadequate initial search efforts and the psychological burden on recovery personnel working without family presence. Jewish theological frameworks, particularly Yom Kippur liturgy and concepts of *teshuvah* (repentance), provide a lens for examining broader questions of societal failure in disaster preparation and response. The evidence demonstrates that effective disaster response demands not only technical expertise but also spiritually-grounded care that honors both the dead and living while compelling systemic reforms to prevent future humanitarian catastrophes.