wfn.org | Louisiana residents face long recovery period from storms

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Oct. 17, 2002  News media contact: Kathy Gilbert7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.	10-71B{477}

By Betty Backstrom*

BATON ROUGE, La. (UMNS) - United Methodists in Louisiana are working hand in
hand with disaster relief agencies and members of other denominations as the
state faces a four- to five-year recovery period from Hurricane Lili and
Tropical Storm Isidore.

An assessment team from the United Methodist Committee on Relief has deemed
the disaster "worse than first thought" and is consulting with the Louisiana
Annual Conference in developing an effective recovery effort. The relief
agency will provide case-management training to those participating in a
long-term volunteer program.

The storms reached the Louisiana coastline barely a week apart, with Lili
striking land Oct. 3, packing winds of 100 mph and causing downed power
lines, fallen trees and extensive flooding. Reports of wind damage are more
significant in the northwestern portion of the church's Acadiana District,
while serious flooding has devastated the state's southern coastal areas.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency expects to have more than 100,000
requests for assistance once applications are finished. FEMA estimates that
nearly 10 percent of those helped with federal funds will still need
additional casework and assistance to fully recover and rebuild.

"This is where long-term help with social services and reconstruction will
come into play," said Tony Fontenot, member of the Louisiana Conference
Disaster Relief Team.

Members of the team are meeting regularly with Volunteer Organizations
Active in Disaster to determine the scope of the disaster and to plan an
effective response to needs.

"The VOAD meetings keep agencies from duplicating efforts and services,"
said Fontenot. "We are working in concert with groups like the Louisiana Red
Cross, FoodNET, the Salvation Army, FEMA and the American Baptist Church to
stabilize conditions for those affected. Our goal is to be sure that folks
are safe, sanitary and secure, and to move people out of shelters and back
into their homes."

United Methodist congregations throughout the conference raised over $10,000
in a special collection during Oct. 6 worship services, earmarked to assist
FoodNET in providing meals where needed. 

Fontenot said that almost 70 people will remain housed in the shelters,
which at one point accommodated more than 100,000 evacuees.

UMCOR's Sager-Brown Depot in Baldwin, La., continues to serve as a center
for meal distribution and has been issuing flood buckets, mops, brooms,
blankets and bedding kits.

Efforts are moving out of the "emergency response" phase and moving into the
"cleanup and assessment" stage.

"Right now, we are organizing volunteers to help with jobs like removing
branches out of yards and hauling them to the street for removal, especially
in Iberia and St. Mary parishes," Fontenot said. 

"We cannot start working on permanent housing repairs until after FEMA and
the insurance agencies have done their job and a full assessment of damages
has been made. There will be many opportunities to help with that kind of
long-term recovery." Fontenot stressed that despite all the assistance
available, some victims will fall through the cracks and need help.

Dulac Community Center, a conference ministry serving a largely Native
American population, and the surrounding community were hardest hit by
flooding and are still cleaning up. Although floodwaters have receded, a
tremendous amount of silt remains, and many residents are faced with
cleaning mud out of their homes.		    

Those wishing to volunteer for cleanup work can call Fontenot at (337)
981-7050. He stressed that volunteers should be totally self-sufficient in
providing their own accommodations and food needs if they are coming from
outside the affected area.
# # #
*Backstrom is the editor of Louisiana Now!, the newspaper of the Louisiana
Annual Conference.

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United Methodist News Service
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