US Churches Still Restoring Gulf Coast After Katrina

It has been two years since Hurricane Katrina made her deadly landfall in the Gulf Coast. Since then, churches and Christian organizations have provided Katrina victims with a source of hope and a shoulder to lean on with their steadfast commitment to restore buildings and lives torn asunder by the largely forgotten disaster.

|PIC1|"If it had not been for the Church, we would be in even worse shape than we are now," said the Rev. Patrick Keen, pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in New Orleans, according to National Council of Churches.

Keen spoke during the Ecumenical Work Week, Aug. 19-25, sponsored by the NCC USA's Special Commission for the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast held in Biloxi, Miss.

"The people of God from all around the country have come to help," Keen added.

Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans at 6:10 a.m. on Aug. 29, 2005. The Category 3 hurricane flooded 80 percent of the city and killed more than 1,600 people in Louisiana and Mississippi in what was the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

In the aftermath, churches and Christian organizations nationwide provided thousands of Gulf Coast hurricane survivors with home repairs, books and equipments for damaged schools, and assistance in finding services and jobs.

A survey by NCC's Special Commission for the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast estimated that churches from its 35 member communions sent more than 120,000 volunteers and donated 3.6 million hours in helping victims in the Gulf Coast. Those churches also sent an estimated $250 million in financial aid to local churches and relief agencies.

"It was not a sacrifice for us to be there," said the Rev. Leslie Tune, NCC's associate director for justice and advocacy. "It was an immense honor and privilege to be the hands and feet of God and to help people rebuild.

"It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life that people allowed us in their homes and trusted us to help them get things back in order," she added.

Church World Service, with the help of its member denominations and other partners, helped rebuild homes and support programs for young survivors.

The N.Y.-based humanitarian ministry also helped support the re-launching of Special Olympics of Louisiana to help young athletes with disabilities in the area to participate in Special Olympics competitions.

It also provided a grant to Boat People SOS - a national organization helping vulnerable Vietnamese and Southeast Asian refugees throughout the country - begin a new Asian Youth Empowerment Project in New Orleans.

Meanwhile, Habitat for Habitat - with the help of some 70,000 volunteers - reports having built or in the process of building more than 1,100 homes in the Gulf Coast Recovery Program in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas.

A CWS-Habitat $4 million partnership has allowed long-term recovery groups along the Gulf Coast to apply for grants of up to $10,000 to help families repair their homes. By spring 2008, the grant will have helped repair 645 homes.

The continual help from churches and Christian organizations is essential, given the drastic drop in donations for rebuilding of affected areas after Katrina.

The Giving USA Foundation records a drop from $7.4 billion in 2005 to $1.2 billion in 2006. The costliest hurricane in U.S. history caused approximately more than $75 billion in damages.

"People think it's over," said Ellenor Simoons of Crescent Alliance Recovery Effort, according to CWS. "The biggest barrier to recovery is most people have put this behind them in other places around the country."

Operation Blessing, realizing that the disaster was far from over, responded by expanding its medical and dental clinics in New Orleans East since April 3, 2006. The facilities provide free health care and prescription medicine to thousands of residents.

To date, both medical and dental clinics combined have treated more than 28,000 patients and filled nearly 68,000 prescriptions.

OBI was helped by another disaster response Christian ministry, The Salvation Army, which awarded OBI $1.8 million in June 2006 to help with prescription medicine for Katrina victims over the next 12 months.

The Greater New Orleans Community Data Center estimates that 66 percent of the city's population has returned.

Churches in New Orleans were scheduled to hold memorial services on Wednesday, including one at the historic St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. A candlelight vigil was scheduled in Jackson Square at dusk.