by Richard D. Brownlee
Synod Executive, Synod of the Covenant
I have done some checking with the Presbytery of South Louisiana and the Web
sites of the Synod of the Sun (Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma) and the
Presbytery of New Covenant (Houston Area).
For an up to date read on what is happening in Texas, go to the Web site of
the Presbytery of New Covenant.
For an update on Louisiana, visit the Presbytery
of South Louisiana Web site. Information on Mississippi can be found on the Synod
of Living Waters Web site.
What I have learned is that the Presbytery of New Covenant (Houston) has had
slight damage to most of its churches, although there is much chaos and destruction
for many people within its bounds. There is a pretty good summary on their web
site, but essentially they are grateful for the lack of damage, and appreciative
of the support from the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program. One particularly
interesting note is that before the town of Jasper, TX can have electrical power,
they will need to upgrade the entire city power grid. A lack of power also means
a lack of ice, and water.
The Presbytery of South Louisiana took a pretty tough hit from Rita. Lake
Charles is flooded. My information is that folks might be allowed back in today.
Some of the churches had some damage, but most of the damage came from flooding.
The floods went as far east as Chauvin, LA, just south of Houma.
The Presbytery had 31 churches affected by Katrina and possibly 15 affected
by Rita. The presbytery has 67 churches. "Affected" could mean that
the church building has been damaged, but may also mean that church members are
significantly affected by the storms. The condition of the churches can be found
on the presbytery's Web site.
One of the big issues in South Louisiana is that so many people have not
yet seen their homes. Like me, you have probably begun to hear on the news media
the reports of those who have reentered New Orleans. My information is that many
of them will discover homes that are marked as structurally unsound, which means
they cannot begin to clean up and plan to return.
One perspective I heard that seemed sound to me came from my brother, Steven,
who has now returned to his home in Covington, LA and his job in Mandeville.
Steve said, "This is a life changing event. Many of my friends will not
return. Where I shop and where I go for recreation all will change. My children's
teachers will change, and many other daily activities will not be the same, because
the places and the people will not be there."
One of the difficulties is that many people in the state are reluctant to
leave. First, many have not seen their home yet, and do not know if it stands,
and if it can be made habitable, so it is difficult to make any decisions. Secondly,
a very high percentage of the population is composed of people who were born
in Louisiana. Often, children find jobs in the community, and buy homes near
the family residence. To leave home is to leave the clan.
There continues to be interesting contrasts. Because of so many disruptions,
many people do not have jobs to which to return. And, on the other hand, because
so many will not return, there are many jobs that are going unfilled.
Continue to keep New Covenant, South Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Alabama
(Texas, Louisiana, and the coast of Mississippi and Alabama)in your prayers,
and continue to stay in touch with the presbyteries, and with the Presbyterian
Disaster Assistance program, putting together work trips, and dollars to provide
for the long term recovery of this part of our nation, our church and our world.
One last piece is to report to you that the Synod of the Covenant, at its
Assembly on September 21-23, took the following action:
- That the Synod of the Covenant, working through the council, establish
a five year Marathon Mission of intentional disaster relief partnership with
the Synod of the Sun and Living Waters.
- That the Synod of the Covenant send
to the Presbyteries of Mississippi and South Louisiana, from unspent budgets
in 2005 a total of $10,000, $5,000 each, to be used by the Presbytery for Hurricane
Relief, Pastoral and Church Staff Salaries, Church Damage, or Presbytery Mission,
where the need is greatest as is determined by the recipients.
The checks have been sent, and we are exploring
what the Marathon Mission means in terms of specifics. You will hear more. |
