Episcopal Press and News
In Louisiana, damage assessment now begins
Episcopal News Service. September 2, 2008 [090208-03]
Joe Bjordal, Lisa B. Hamilton and Solange De Santis
Members of the Diocese of Louisiana on September 2 were assessing damage after Hurricane Gustav and generally expressed relief that a disaster preparedness plan, tested for the first time since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, worked well.
On August 27, five days before Gustav's landfall, four members of the diocese's disaster response staff were involved in a week-long awareness campaign on Gulf Coast recovery issues at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. With the storm churning through the Caribbean, they received word that Bishop Charles Jenkins was activating the diocese's emergency readiness plan.
Nell Bolton, executive director of the Office of Disaster Response, left immediately for New Orleans. Soon to follow were Courtney Cowart, the office's director of public affairs and advocacy, and community organizers Shakoor Aljuwani and Shedrick White.
"Our plan worked," said Cowart, who, as the founding director of the Office of Disaster Response, was involved in its inception. "Everyone was out and we knew where they were." The diocese contains 49 parishes and close to 19,000 active baptized members.
Cowart reported that four days after Hurricane Katrina, Jenkins did not know where most of the clergy of the diocese were and thus could not receive reports on the status of Episcopalians affected by the storm. This time, she said, there was a communication plan in place, including a phone list to relay calls when direct contact was not possible.
She said that on September 1 after Gustav had made landfall, the Rev. Scott Albergate, canon for mission, had been able to speak directly with each clergy member in the diocese.
"We have worked hard to have emergency evacuation plans for every congregation," said Jenkins in a telephone interview on September 1 from Baton Rouge, where he had evacuated with his family.
"We made sure that elderly and disabled people in our parishes were taken out by the city, the state or friends and we have given each congregation an emergency preparedness kit," said Jenkins.
He also reported that the diocese's mobile units -- a medical unit, a ministry unit and a meal-serving truck -- purchased and deployed following Hurricane Katrina, were also sent to Baton Rouge to wait out the storm.
"There is a really good feeling to know that we have learned from Katrina and have been changed by that experience," said Cowart.
"We have been more vigilant, more prepared and we have systems in place to be able to stay connected even when external circumstances scatter us," she said.
Jenkins also noted that the government "worked well" this time.
As an example, he said that he and his wife, Louise, were awakened early on Sunday, August 31, by an automated call telling them of a mandatory evacuation.
Jenkins said he had been told that lack of electricity and sewage will prevent him from leaving Baton Rouge until Friday at the earliest.
Jenkins, who pointed out that the diocese is glad to have Episcopal Relief and Development "standing beside us," predicted that "most helpful in the days to come will be nonperishable meals, ice, toiletry kits -- and prayers."
Cowart said that when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, over 100,000 persons were stranded in the city. This time, she said that reports indicated that only approximately 10,000 persons remained behind and mostly of their own choosing.
Regrouping, assessing needs
Cowart reports that staff of the Diocese of Louisiana, who evacuated to several locations, are now "meeting" by a daily conference call and have tentative plans to regroup in person on Thursday at St. James Church, Baton Rouge, site of the diocese's emergency office. Opening the emergency office has been hampered by severe weather in Baton Rouge, including loss of electric power.
We are waiting now to assess the damage," said Cowart.
Jenkins said that a major concern were the towns of Houma and Morgan City, located to the southwest of New Orleans, which were hit worst by Gustav. He said this is currently "shrimp season" and he was concerned that some people may have wanted to stay with their boats and that some people simply could not afford to do a self-evacuation.
Cowart said that news reports from New Orleans in recent days did not show the most vulnerable areas of the city.
"We are especially anxious to hear first-hand reports from and get into the Lower Ninth Ward," she said.
Following Hurricane Katrina, the Diocese of Louisiana purchased an abandoned Walgreen's drug store on St. Cloud Avenue and opened a new mission congregation.
Cowart reports that the building is large and versatile.
"We are eager to connect with our partners in that area and see how our mission congregation can be of help now," she said.
Cowart also predicted there may be a need for several congregations to "open their doors and provide shelter" to displaced or homeless persons who will soon return. She said that before Gustav, one in every twenty-five persons in New Orleans was homeless and that government shelters were mostly "inhumane" in condition.
"Our churches could provide decent shelter opportunities," she said.
The Diocese of Louisiana's disaster response staff is posting regular updates on a special section of the diocesan website here. Bishop Jenkins is posting regular messages to his blog here.
Prayers of gratitude
"Gustav does not seem to be as severe as was predicted. God's Holy Name be praised," said Bishop Jenkins in a blog entry on September 1.
In a statement issues on the evening of the same day, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori echoed those sentiments saying "We give thanks that damage from Hurricane Gustav has not been worse, and we continue to hold the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas in our prayers as they await the end of this storm."
"We pray that the light of dawn may bring reassurance and comfort to all who are living through this dark night of fear."