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Louisiana church leaders urge caution in rebuilding process

Sep. 26, 2005

NOTE: Photographs and related coverage are available at
http://umns.umc.org.

By Betty Backstrom*

BATON ROUGE, La. (UMNS) - United Methodist church leaders for the
Louisiana Annual Conference advised all clergy to use caution and to be
prepared when evacuating from the path of Hurricane Rita.

Pastors from the Lake Charles and Acadiana Districts received this
encouragement, along with a number of clergy who had returned to New
Orleans area churches to begin the rebuilding process from Hurricane
Katrina.

A Sept. 23 break in the already fragile levees protecting the Ninth Ward
of New Orleans dumped flood waters back into areas where pumping was in
progress.

According to the Associated Press, water streamed through gaps at least
100 feet wide in a levee and was soon waist-deep on a nearby street in
the Ninth Ward, an area of neighborhoods heavily damaged by Katrina. The
water began covering buckled homes, piles of rubble and mud-caked cars
that Katrina had swamped with up to 20 feet of water nearly a month
earlier. The Army Corps of Engineers was working to repair the levees.

First United Methodist Church in Slidell was already in the process of
drying out damaged sheet rock when the wind and rain of Hurricane Rita
forced evacuation of the area.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Rita was causing major damage in southwestern
Louisiana. The conference office received reports of a tornado striking
the small fishing community of Dulac, La., home to Clanton Chapel United
Methodist Church and an active ministry serving the area's predominantly
Native American population. The community had recently recovered from
the devastation of flooding and tornadoes caused by Hurricane Lilly in
September 2002.

Also in the path of Hurricane Rita was the United Methodist Committee on
Relief's Sager-Brown Depot, in Baldwin, La. The depot was evacuated
Sept. 22, 2005.

Church officials announced the establishment of relief centers in key
areas of south Louisiana, including the Northshore and Westbank of New
Orleans. Centers will likely be established in southwest Louisiana, as
well as inside the metro area of New Orleans, when possible.

"These centers will serve as a hub for Volunteers in Mission teams,
assessment, case management and counseling services," said Rev. Don
Cottrill, conference provost.

The La. United Methodist Storm Recovery Center, housed in the conference
area offices in Baton Rouge and established in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina, received a flood of calls Sept. 23 with offers of
assistance.

"The conference has advised all clergy to notify the district and
conference offices of their location and contact information once they
are safely evacuated. They should be prepared by having a copy of all
church records, including financial information and insurance records,"
Cottrill said.

"We are relying on God's prevenient grace. The Louisiana Annual
Conference has already been blessed through many gifts, support and
prayers. The system of support through the United Methodist connection
continues to help sustain us as we cope with these events."

*Backstrom is editor of Louisiana Now!, the newspaper of the United
Methodist Church's Louisiana Annual Conference.

News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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