FOR MORE INFORMATION (working media only) : Pamela Burdine: 502-569-5839 or pburdine@ctr.pcusa.org

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 8, 2005)—Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) relief and recovery teams have been deployed across five southern states in response to the destruction and human suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that followed .

With the storm's Gulf Coast landfall last week, PDA immediately committed $500,000 to initiate relief efforts and simultaneously issued a $10 million appeal to its 2.4 million members nationwide. (PDA is a non-profit relief and recovery program of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Since 1946, it has provided field-trained disaster teams, financial assistance and human services annually to an average of 55 countries on six continents.)

Contributions can be made by calling (800) 872-3283 or via the Web site, www.pcusa.org.

The Katrina response being coordinated by the PDA headquarters in Louisville, Ky., with field operations in Baton Rouge; Mobile; Gulfport; Houston; Panama City, Fla.; Jackson and Ocean Springs, Miss.; Ferncliff, Ark, Winchester , Va., and additional sites. Working in conjunction with Red Cross and FEMA teams as well as scores of Presbyterian churches throughout the South, PDA activities are focused on stabilization of living conditions in affected areas and long-term recovery/rebuilding efforts.

"Our first goal is to help displaced and homeless people get into the system so they can be eligible for aid and reconnect with loved ones," said PDA Coordinator Susan Ryan. "Until that happens, the true scope of need remains unknown."

Ryan said the PDA response has been assembled as relief effort that could last several years.

PDA simultaneously is attempting to locate some church pastors missing since the storm peaked. More than 250 Presbyterian Churches are located within the impacted areas of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, and their participation is critical to local relief efforts. In New Orleans, four pastors remain unaccounted for out of 30 in the city.

"We're using all the tools available to try to find them and ensure their safety," said Ryan.

Meanwhile, PDA relief and recovery efforts expand hourly as new personnel and resources reach staging areas and field teams.

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

• On its Web site (www.pcusa.org/pda), 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.

• PDA has made an initial commitment of $10,000 to help pay crew salaries on the three Carnival cruise ships docked in Galveston, Tex. and Mobile, Ala. PDA is also coordinating the services of health care professionals who specialize in the needs of the 7000 elderly and special needs evacuees expected to be housed on the ships.

• 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 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.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT INFORMATION (working media only):

Overall coordinator: Susan Ryan: (888) 728-7228 x5840 (sryan@ctr.pcusa.org)

Field Coordinator: John Robinson