The Presbyterian Church USA is responding to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, one of the United States' worst-ever disasters. Through its relief arm, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the church is coordinating volunteer efforts, donating money and supplies, reuniting displaced parishioners and pastors and helping congregations get back on their feet.
"I can tell you right now, it will be the biggest thing we've responded to domestically, in terms of the scope of the damage and the number of people involved," said PDA coordinator, Susan Ryan. She said the poor communities in Mississippi will require the most attention. "You've got a lot of communities in Mississippi that don't even have sewerage systems in their communities. They're not going to have the kind of insurance that's going to allow them to recover."
PDA immediately directed $500,000 to the relief effort and has issued an appeal for $10 million. The agency is committed to coordinating its efforts with other Christians to extend their response as far as possible. Total damage estimates range between $10 billion and $25 billion.
Presbyterian World Service & Development is in contact with PDA, and is accepting donations to help with the relief efforts. Rev. Rick Fee, PWS&D's executive director, sent a letter to the church, expressing his sympathy and concern.
More than 30 churches in Southern Louisiana were affected, while presbyteries in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi continue to assess the damage. Rev. Jean Marie Peacock, Vice-Moderator of PC(USA)'s 2004 General Assembly, lived in New Orleans with her husband.
In a letter, written at the end of August, she told the church, "We have seen overhead shots of our neighbourhood where the water is at the rooftops, and we suspect that is true of our home and that we have lost everything. The congregation that I serve [as associate pastor] is in the Lakeview area, one of the first to be inundated with water after the levee broke. We suspect that many from our congregation, who live in the neighbourhood, have lost everything and that the church is filled with water." – AM
