08662
September 12, 2008
2 PDA volunteer villages hit hard by Hurricane Gustav
Other Presbyterian-related damage along Gulf Coast mostly minor
Hurricane Gustav destroyed temporary housing units, like the ones above, at PDA-operated volunteer villages in Houma, LA, and Pearlington, MS. PNS file photo LOUISVILLE — Hurricane Gustav seriously damaged two volunteer villages operated by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) when it slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast on Sept. 1.
The storm-whipped villages were among five sites established by PDA in 2005 to house volunteer work teams that are helping rebuild the storm-battered region following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
No injuries were reported at any of the villages, a positive development that might have been helped by the fact the camps were closed at the time as part of a regular seasonal break.
The most severe damage was in Houma, LA, where all 47 temporary housing units known as “pods” were destroyed at PDA’s “Good Earth” site. The category 2 hurricane landed a direct hit on the small town in Terrebonne Parish, about 30 miles southwest of New Orleans.
The community had still been recovering from Rita, which flooded an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 homes when it swept through the area on Sept. 24, 2005.
“When we looked around, some of the pods were up in trees and kind of strung all over the place,” said Leslie Fedo, PDA’s volunteer village coordinator, who oversees the five sites — three in Louisiana and two in Mississippi.
“We definitely have a lot of work to be done over there without a doubt,” she said.
Gustav did not level everything at the Houma volunteer village, which could accommodate more than 90 volunteer workers at a time. A permanent structure housing a dining hall and kitchen survived the storm, as did the camp’s office, Fedo said. Trailers serving as staff quarters and others with showers for volunteers remained intact.
To the surprise of village staff, electrical power was not disrupted by Gustav, which knocked out power to much of the region.
“It was kind of a strange vision when we went over there on Saturday to see what we could do and salvage,” Fedo said of the Houma volunteer village. “It was pretty amazing because the [pod] platforms were all still in place as were the air conditioning ducts, everything was still in place.”
A timetable for reopening the Houma site could not immediately be determined.
There was one other casualty connected to the village in Houma: Kevin Henry, a long-term volunteer and former staffer there, lost his Houma trailer home to the storm. Henry, who is not a Presbyterian, had evacuated to safety along with his wife, Donna, and two children before Gustav struck.
For now the family, whose home was hit hard by Katrina and destroyed by Rita, is staying at the camp’s dining hall, Fedo said.
Meanwhile, Gustav destroyed six temporary housing pods at PDA’s volunteer village in Pearlington, MS, located about 25 miles west of Biloxi, MS. The small community near the Gulf of Mexico was all but destroyed by Katrina on Aug. 29, 2005.
A metal frame is all that remains of a temporary housing unit at the volunteer village in Houma, LA. Photo by Leslie Fedo The Pearlington village, which also took on a lot of floodwater, is expected to reopen to volunteers as scheduled later this month along with PDA’s other villages in New Orleans; Luling, LA; and Gulfport, MS.
“We have the four good villages that will be up and operating and ready to go to welcome the volunteers,” Fedo said. “It’s just the Houma site that is going to set us back.”
Other than the two damaged volunteer camps, it appeared Wednesday (Sept. 10) that Presbyterian-related property escaped Gustav for the most part.
Only a few Presbyterian churches in Louisiana and Mississippi have reported significant damage, and no Presbyterians are thought to have been killed by the storm.
“A couple of churches had signs blown down. Some of the other churches may have lost shingles as well,” said the Rev. Alan D. Cutter, general presbyter of South Louisiana Presbytery. “Right now everybody seems to be able to use their buildings. There’s nothing that keeps them out of their buildings other than the fact that some of them still don’t have power.”
In the most serious case of damage, Gustav peeled away the metal roof of Baker Presbyterian Church in Baker, LA, about 10 miles north of Baton Rouge. The building’s interior was exposed to the elements and sustained water damage before the roof was covered by a tarp later, Cutter said.
The presbytery executive said inmates from the local prison installed the cover, compliments of a Baker Presbyterian member who is sheriff of East Baton Rouge Parish.
Cutter worshiped Sunday (Sept. 7) with the congregation, which is holding services in its fellowship hall.
He also said Highland Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge must replace its roof after shingles were blown off one side.
Two other Baton Rouge church buildings — Church of the Way Presbyterian and Broadmoor Presbyterian — received moderate roof damage. The home of a Broadmoor member was destroyed in the storm and a South Louisiana Presbytery staffer also lost a home, Cutter said.
He said the husband of another presbytery staffer was doing fine after being hospitalized on Tuesday (Sept. 9) with heart-related problems prompted by stress from the storm.
Churches in New Orleans, a city devastated by Hurricane Katrina three years ago, sustained minimal damage from Gustav, Cutter said.
Volunteers sift through the remains of Kevin Henry’s home in Houma, LA, after Hurricane Gustav destroyed it. Photo by Leslie Fedo Members of PDA’s national response team, who were visiting the presbytery, have departed after completing damage assessments, Cutter said.
In Pines Presbytery, which includes 63 churches in the northern half of Louisiana and the southern half of Arkansas, there was no significant damage to Presbyterian churches or property.
“A couple of churches had leaky roofs, but no great physical damage to any of the churches in our presbytery,” said the Rev. Joe Hill, general presbyter of Pines Presbytery.
Meanwhile, in Mississippi the manse at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Natchez was heavily damaged when trees fell on it during the storm. Fortunately, the structure was not being used since the congregation is currently between pastors. It was not known this week if the manse is salvageable.
“I don’t know of anything more,” said the Rev. William A. dePrater, executive presbyter of Mississippi Presbytery. “I understand there may have been some minor flooding in the Bay St. Louis (MS) area, but I have not really heard of any extensive flooding.”
Clean-up duty
Work teams interested in helping with Hurricane Gustav clean-up and rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav should register with PDA’s national call center located at the Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center in Little Rock, AR, by calling (866) 732-6121.
Those wishing to respond financially may do so by designating gifts for USA disasters and emergencies, DR000015. Donations may be sent through normal mission giving channels. Gifts by credit card can be made by calling PresbyTel at (800) 872-3283 or online. Checks payable to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) can also be mailed directly to: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Individual Remittance Processing, P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700. | 
