Some Katrina Volunteers Here For the Long Haul
Release Date: April 25, 2006
Release Number: 1604-336
» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina
BILOXI, Miss. -- Amy Bearson means it when she says her voluntary organization plans to stick around for the Hurricane Katrina recovery on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Bearson is site director for the Lutheran Disaster Response (formerly Lutheran-Episcopal Disaster Response) in Ocean Springs , Miss. , one of many voluntary groups working on the Hurricane Katrina response and recovery.
The Lutheran Disaster Response and other voluntary agencies are the Week 3 focus of Gov. Haley Barbour's eight-week Stay Alert. Stay Alive. preparedness campaign in advance of the 2006 hurricane season that begins June 1.
Voluntary agencies like the Lutheran Disaster Response are the backbone of response and recovery from a disaster, especially one the size of Hurricane Katrina, said Jesse Munoz, deputy federal coordinating officer for the Mississippi recovery. Their work helps ease the pain and misery wrought by Hurricane Katrina.
Bearson's church has been in Ocean Springs for 41 years, and the congregation plans on staying, she said. Her ministry, based in the Christus Victor Lutheran Church , 2755 Bienville Blvd. , is a collaborative effort of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod .
Since Hurricane Katrina struck on Aug. 29, the church has housed among other things a Red Cross shelter, health clinics and relief workers who are helping restore homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
We've had people from Washington State , Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , Michigan and Minnesota . We've also had some Canadians with us, she said.
Bearson's church is just one example of voluntary groups, especially faith-based organizations, working on the Hurricane Katrina response and recovery, said Robert Renfroe, special projects coordinator for the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service.
St. Paul 's United Methodist Church in Ocean Springs opened its doors Aug. 30 and still daily hosts up to
450 volunteers who work on debris removal, rebuilding and public works, Renfroe said. Just a few of the many other groups working to supply unmet needs include:
- The Morrell Foundation in Waveland, which started as a small group of local residents who lost nearly everything, now can house and feed 800 volunteers.
- Church World Service, which provides training and other assistance to long-term recovery committees.
- Baptist associations for debris removal and feeding operations.
- United Methodist Committee on Relief for a host of services.
- Christian Reform World Relief Committee, for assessing unmet needs of individuals and passing the information along to long-term recovery committees across Mississippi .
- Hope Crisis Response Network, representing a coalition of churches from Indiana , has made a three-year commitment to rebuild homes in Harrison County .
Virtually all of the organizations that arrived on the ground with disaster response have committed to staying through a significant portion of the recovery phase, Renfroe said.
This speaks both to the vast scope of the disaster and to the even more immeasurable compassion of the responders.
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 25-Apr-2006 15:13:47