PDA has established a call center at the Ferncliff (Ark.) Camp and Conference Center to coordinate volunteer recruitment and assignment. Groups wishing to volunteer for active field duty throughout the Gulf area should call 1-866-732-6121.

On its Web site (www.pcusa.org/katrina), PDA has established a reconnect bulletin board for church members trying to locate displaced individuals and for evacuees who want to advise family and friends of their new location.

Up to 15 self-sufficient staging camps are being created in the Gulf region to support relief teams for service throughout the most-damaged areas. Erected and supplied at a cost of approximately $150,000 each, the camps include dormitories, shower facilities and mess tents for up to 150 volunteers.

Working with the Norwegian Church Aid organization it partnered with in relief efforts to areas impacted by the south Asian tsunami, PDA is coordinating the importation from Norway of site engineering technology and expertise for advanced water purification. The team currently is located in Jackson, Miss.

A warehouse has been set up in Houston to distribute Personal Hygiene kits and "Hope in a Box" kits for children. The warehouse will serve evacuees at Texas relocation sites. A second warehouse operation is being made operational in Atlanta.

PDA has accelerated development of a disaster relief equipment and supply warehouse in Little Rock, Ark. Originally planned to serve future relief needs in the Gulf region and tornado alley, the facility is being fast-tracked to be operational for the Katrina response.

Debris-clearing teams created by Presbyterian church members are being coordinated and supported throughout the storm damage area.

In addition to its Hurricane Katrina response, PDA has disaster relief programs on-going in Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Malawi, Niger, Sudan and the tsunami region.