wfn.org | Church World Service - Interfaith Response to Hurricane Katrina

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Interfaith Cooperation is Key to Responding Effectively to Katrina, Says 
CWS Head
September 1, 2005

Donate to Hurricane Katrina Response

By Ann Walle

Baton Rouge, LA - Amid a deteriorating situation throughout flood-affected 
Louisiana, Church World Service Executive Director John McCullough and 
other religious leaders today said cooperation among different faith groups 
must be an imperative in the response to Hurricane Katrina.

During a meeting convened by the Louisiana Interchurch Council here, 
McCullough stressed that cooperation and not competition among faith groups 
will help consolidate their role as advocates for survivors coping with an 
unimaginable disaster in destruction and scope--affecting not just New 
Orleans but other parts of Louisiana, as well as Mississippi, Alabama, and 
Florida.

"This is not just an urban story; its a rural story," said McCullough 
during a meeting that was attended by members and pastors of independent 
churches in Louisiana, as well as representatives of the Presbyterian 
Church (USA); United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR); the Christian 
Church (Disciples); and CWS staff that included Linda Reed Brown, CWS 
Associate Director for Domestic Emergency Response.

One participant at the meeting said Church World Service--which has long 
experience in responding to disasters in a wide geographic area--"had big 
arms, pulling people together," and would be a key faith-based convener and 
coordinator of disaster response to Katrina.

The meetings of religious leaders came amid reports of worsening conditions 
throughout areas affected by the hurricane. Concerns ranged from looting 
and acts of violence to the sudden doubling in population of Baton Rouge 
because of a stream of disaster survivors from New Orleans and other 
communities. Families being placed in makeshift "tent cities" continued to 
seek food, water, and medical treatment.

At a stop at one nursing home, McCullough and other CWS staff saw dozens of 
people crowded in cramped hallways, sleeping on mattresses.

CWS is helping to support immediate needs and preparing for continuing 
assistance, working within affected communities to meet the long-term 
recovery and reconstruction needs of the most vulnerable. Shoulder to 
shoulder with the interfaith community in the affected areas, as well as 
federal emergency officials, CWS will be providing vital assistance as 
families and communities work to put their lives back together again.

Contributions may be sent to:

Church World Service
Hurricane Katrina Response
P.O. Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515

Or contribute online or via phone to 800-297-1516.

Media Contacts:
Ann Walle, CWS/New York, 212-870-2654; awalle@churchworldservice.org