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This story and photos located at: http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2006/06443
06443 August 30, 2006
PW leaders aid Gulf recovery on work trip
Most needed resource is still people, group told
by Susan Jackson Dowd Presbyterian Women communication coordinator
LOUISVILLE * Presbyterian Women national leaders and staff returned Aug. 26 from a weeklong post-Katrina work trip to New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast area.
Accompanying them were members of the PC(USA) Women's Ministries staff and volunteers from National Network of Presbyterian College Women (NNPCW) and Racial Ethnic Young Women Together (REYWT).
The 26 participants spent two days removing personal belongings and tearing out sheetrock in a New Orleans East home; one day working in Musician's Village, a Habitat for Humanity construction site in the upper Ninth Ward; and two days touring flood-affected areas in New Orleans and Mississippi.
RHINO (Rebuilding Hope in New Orleans), a ministry of St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church in New Orleans, hosted the group.
In cooperation with RHINO staff, Kathy Randall, a PW national leader and member of St. Charles, planned the itinerary, which included speakers; visits to Café Reconcile (http://www.CafeReconcile.com) and other local programs; tours of New Orleans and Mississippi flood areas; and visits to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) camps in Pearlington and Orange Grove Mississippi.
Camp leaders in Pearlington said Mississippi flood areas remain in dire need of volunteers. For information about PDA camps, visit the PDA Web site (http://www.pcusa.org/pda).
Col. Patricia M. Prechter, a Louisiana National Guard registered nurse in charge of special needs patients brought to the Superdome during Katrina and the aftermath, addressed the group early in the trip. Her presentation highlighted the numbers of people who came to the Superdome for help, including an unexpected number of people with critical health concerns; lack of communication and medical facilities; and the hard work of the military and volunteers present to meet ever-complicating needs.
One year later, all those involved in recovery efforts stress that the most needed resource in the area is people. For the long term, return of the population is critical. For now, visitors provide the necessary volunteer base for rebuilding efforts, support the local economy, promote communication, and provide critical relationship and encouragement.
"The devastation in New Orleans and surrounding areas is so much greater than we ever imagined," said PW national moderator Catrelia Hunter. "It was so important for PW to see the destruction, hear the stories of survival and triumph, to work with other volunteers in clean up and rebuilding efforts, and to return home to share the stories to encourage others to go and help with the restoration. It is my hope that Presbyterian Women and others throughout our denomination will send teams to support and assist with the work that must be done to rebuild this historic city and other areas throughout the Gulf Coast."
Through spring 2007 RHINO work teams will be tearing out sheetrock and plaster walls for uninsured and underinsured homeowners. Teams also assist with personal property and debris removal. St. Charles owns a facility that can house up to 30 volunteers. Room and board is $15 per person per day. Participants pay for transportation and some meals. RHINO information is available online (http://www.scapc.org).
For more information about the PW trip, see the November/December 2006 issue of Horizons, the magazine of Presbyterian Women (http://www.pcusa.org/pw).
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