Much of Louisiana Still Without Power

This map from the Department of Homeland Security shows the severity of the power outages.

Clearer Picture of Gustav's Aftermath

While all eyes were on New Orleans and the residents of the coastal communities now housed in shelters across the country, Gustav swept through Louisiana causing tremendous damage. Once the storm passed and the levees in New Orleans held, everyone seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Since that time, very little coverage of the damage in Louisiana has found a place in national and international media coverage. 

While researching a route for a storm assessment trip, I came across some photos submitted from people in affected areas. The locations were noted on most of the photos. I came across some photos from Zachary, Louisiana, just north of Baton Rouge. The images showed much more significant storm damage than I expected. I called a pastor in Zachary who is a friend of mine and received confirmation of the damage in the photos. A little more research and a few more phone calls provided a greater awareness of the extent of the damage throughout Baton Rouge and much of the surrounding area. Gustav's eastern edge drenched the area and pummeled the cities along the Mississippi River with hurricane force winds and tornadoes. Those old live oak trees that are so much a part of the traditional image of Louisiana were broken and uprooted by the hundreds in turn bringing down power lines and crushing buildings. Power transmission stations have received damage as well, and some are reporting estimates of three weeks before power will be restored. Some other areas of the state are not expecting power to return for four to six weeks. Photos of Gustav's aftermath are now becoming available in greater number. Check http://www.2theadvocate.com/multimedia for several galleries. 

Word from the Bishop

I just received a message from the Bishop. Baton Rouge has significant tree damage and wide spread power outages. The United Methodist Committee on Relief will be arriving in the area tomorrow to begin overall assessment of the damage in the affected region. I know cleanup teams will be needed with chain saws and equipment for roof repair. From other news sources I am hearing that there has been significant damage in the path of the storm, but there are few specifics. We need to determine who in our congregation will be available to form work crews to travel south. We should receive specifics from Bishop Hutchinson and UMCOR tomorrow or the next day. It is likely that teams teams will be needed as soon as this weekend. If you would like to be part of a team this weekend or some time soon, please contact the office and give us your schedule of availability.  

Current shelter needs and reflections on future preparation

Gustav is passing through the area and has shared much rain and wind with us. One casualty for us is the server (computer) at the church and our Internet access. I am updating this from home. Information about the coastal areas is slow coming, but there are ongoing needs here in the shelters. The shelters at the Sam's and the old outlet mall need diapers (adult and children), wipes, soap, shampoo, rash ointment, towels, wash cloths, and new socks and underwear for all ages. Games for children are also needed as well as people who are willing to come to the shelters and spend time with the children. 

Walking into the shelter at that old Sam's on Jewella, it is best to enter the side door on the far left. You will probably find Pastor Sione or Terry Strain there at the "medical tent." They can help you get oriented in the shelter and point you in the right direction to drop your donations or to spend time with the children. 

As we prepare for future evacuations, it would be good to prepare kits for personal use like airlines have for people who are stranded over night with out luggage. Also, if the Sam's building and the outlet mall are going to be used as shelters in the future, I suggest that church volunteers partner with city or state agencies to build sufficient shower and toilet facilities, commercial washer and dryers, a medical services area, a children's area, an area for separating those with excessive anger or disturbing behavior, as well as stocking basics such as games for children, diapers and personal supplies. We live near the Gulf Coast. The Gulf is a hurricane prone area. More hurricanes will come and with them evacuations. Costal residents responded well to the call for evacuation and because of this many lives were protected from potential loss. The evacuation worked. If people are going to be willing to evacuate in the future, we must have facilities that are well enough equipped so that staying in the path of a hurricane doesn't sound like a better option. If there are members of the congregation or others reading this blog who are willing to consider this construction opportunity, let's talk. RobWeber@aol.com 

Prayers from around the world

I just checked my email and found a message from someone I met when I traveled to Belfast last Spring. I traveled with family and friends from Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia to learn about the ministry taking place at the East Belfast Mission. While there I learned about one of the most amazing projects for community renewal I have ever encountered. The mission is located in a community plagued with deep poverty and the challenges associated with inadequate education, deep ideological and cultural divisions and a failed economy tied to the ship building industry that collapsed from tens of thousands of jobs to four hundred. In the middle of this difficult situation emerged the Skainos Project (www.skainos.org). One of the leaders of this mission sent the email lifting our situation in prayer. It is so good to know that we are part of a global community and that we are connected not only by prayer, but also by a calling to and a vision for reconciliation.  

Gustav made landfall with tremendous storm surge, but the levees in New Orleans seem to have held. The shelters in Shreveport are full. Some of our members are housing members from a sister church in Lafayette. Last night the official shelters filled quickly and the influx of guests continued to increase. While some pointed the cars and busses to shelters further north or west, others started to open other shelters. We received some Red Cross workers and today have become a shelter for Americorps volunteers. 

Today we set out to respond to the needs we found as we moved from shelter to shelter. Some volunteers helped shuttle people to get medications, while others took people to see their pets at the pet shelter. During Katrina, some people wouldn't leave New Orleans because there were no facilities to evacuate pets. This time provisions were made for pets. 

We have had people preparing meals for the medical and support volunteers at the FEMA shelter. In fact, as we have continued to assess the needs in the area, we have decided to focus our efforts on this particular shelter. The facility is an old Sam's Club building. It is large enough and can house 2700 people in cots. Currently there are 2800 residing in the shelter. 

For the most part I have been impressed with the improved organization of the disaster preparedness organizations. While I am thankful for this shelter for 2800 people, I believe provisions need to be made for showers, hot water and expanded toilet facilities. The need for back up power generation also needs to be addressed. As I was buying boxes of flashlights I thought about the approaching hurricane/tropical storm with its history of flooding and power outages. I imagined what it might be like in a big open room with 2800 already agitated people in compete darkness with storms crashing all around.  

The extent of costal damage is not yet clear. As I get updates and as people are allowed back in I will provide updates. 

Gather and Scatter

It was good to gather for worship this weekend. People came together from across the City and across the State. We even had some visitors from out-of-state. The service was a call to take the opportunity to turn aside as Moses did at the burning bush. In our case we are being invited to turn aside and meet God in the opportunity to serve. Some people shared areas of need and some shared willingness to help in particular ways. One need that became particularly evident was the need for additional medical personnel at the shelters. One out-of-state visitor heard the call for needed medical personnel at the shelters and decided to to spend his last day in town serving. After church we received a call for assistance helping move 91 residents from a coastal nursing home from busses to wheelchairs so they could be transferred into the temporary shelter. Members of Grace and members of the LSUS baseball team shared in this opportunity. We gathered to worship and are scattered to serve.

Hurricane Gustav's approach speed has increased. Landfall is going to come much sooner than expected. Schools across the State are closed and hurricane force winds are possible in Baton Rouge which is almost 100 miles inland. As I finish this entry, my phone received a text alert from the national weather service alerting me that Shreveport is to expect tropical storm force winds, possible tornadoes, heavy rain and flash flooding. 

Living Hope

We put a version this video together initially in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita to raise awareness of the extent of the damage. This subsequent version, Living Hope, was used by many churches for the 1st anniversary of Hurricane Katrina to thank the many volunteers who gave time, resources and effort to help Louisiana rebuild. We have just passed the 3rd anniversary of Katrina. Recovery work is still underway. An offering will be taken on the first Sunday in September to continue the work of hurricane recovery in New Orleans and the rest of New Orleans. (The Song on the video is My Louisiana by Stacy Hood - www.stacyhood.com)

Warning

Mayor Nagin has issued a stern and grim warning for New Orleans. He said in a news conference, "You need to be scared. You need to be concerned. You need to get your butt out of New Orleans. This is the storm of the century." 

Yesterday I heard from three friends from different areas of the South Louisiana coast. While miles apart, the homes of all three friends are likely to receive potentially devastating wind, rain and storm surge damage. One friend reported that computer models had shown his area under 10 feet of water. He came to worship with us in Shreveport on Saturday night and brought digital video of boarding up the church before he left. A second friend sent an email reflecting on walking around her church before she left the city, reflecting on the beauty of the facility and the holiness of the time she has spent with the community during the years of recovery, reconstruction, and restoration which was completed just last week. She was preparing to power down and leave the city in response to the approaching storm and the Mayor Naigin's warning. My third friend told me that most of her family was panning to evacuate, but that her brother would be staying with an elderly uncle in a recently completed home. The home was built to replace one destroyed during the 2005 hurricane season. 

I understand the importance of place. I understand the courage to trust God in the face of terrible difficulty, but I encourage everyone who has a friend or relative in the path of this storm to encourage them to evacuate. If needed, we will help them find a place to stay. In 2005 I drove all across the devastated regions after Katrina and Rita. The power of Hurricanes is beyond belief. I was in New Orleans shortly after Katrina with the Red Cross before the city was drained and before Rita hit. I saw body bags filled in the completion of their grim purpose. If you have loved ones in the path of the storm, please encourage them to evacuate.

A grim warning for a grim time, yet we continue to pray, to prepare, and to trust God for strength.

Putting our heads together

I just finished meeting with several staff members and some members of the Church Council. We put our heads together to make sure we were focused as the storm approaches and our guests arrive in the surrounding area. Our goal was to look for ways in which our efforts could could be aligned with our particular facilities and abilities in order to meet needs in the most effective way. There are three areas of concern that will affect our response; 1) the needs of the guests in the shelters and the volunteer opportunities offered by the various agencies, 2) The location of landfall and the intensity of the damage, and 3) the potentially damaging weather that could reach Shreveport. This weekend in worship, will be offering opportunities for people to sign up on different teams, each with a particular ministry focus. The teams will include hospitality/food, transportation (delivery of supplies), local storm damage work team, coastal storm damage work team, communication/coordination/administration. There may be other areas in which people would like to serve so we will invite people to share particular interests, gifts, or interests to provide that information as well. Gathering this information will allow us to respond quickly. Our hope is to maintain an updated website of volunteer opportunities and needs for our use as well as for use by other congregations.

Major Evacuation

I just returned from a meeting with clergy and nonprofit organizations with the Mayor and the Disaster Preparedness office of Homeland Security for Shreveport Bossier. It seems that we are about to have a total evacuation of the South Louisiana Coast. We were reminded that the preference of the office of Disaster Preparedness is to keep people supported in Red Cross shelters that have been prepared and are staged to open in a certain order. There will be many volunteers needed and we will be learning more as time moves on. 

"Surprise Guests"

We've been in communication with one of our sister churches in the projected path and have been asked to partner with them in the event that some of their elderly members need a place to stay. We are currently working out the details of this request and will be letting the congregation know by email about the ministry opportunity. We will be looking for volunteers who would be willing to host an individual or a couple from Asbury United Methodist Church in Lafayette. Drew Sutton's mother is one of the pastors of the Asbury in Lafayette. Mitzi Musgraves will serve as contact person at the church. In 2005 we came up with a term for those brought to us by the storm. Instead of "refugees" or "evacuees" they were "surprise guests." It looks like we will have the opportunity to be hosts for surprise guests.

Remembering

During the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the people of Grace Community UMC found many ways to serve in the rapidly changing landscape of need. I remember many of you gathering in the recently opened Youth Warehouse to help coordinate the different aspects of our response. We called the response "Operation Open Heart." Many of you worked to restore several cabins at the YMCA next door, including upgrading the roofing, electrical supply and climate control. The cabins were made ready provide housing. Originally, we assumed that the cabins were being prepared for people fleeing the storm, but as things progressed, we were informed by the authorities encouraging all those fleeing the storm to find lodging at one of the "official shelters." In discussion with the YMCA, we decided o finish the repairs so that the cabins would be ready to house groups of volunteers wanting to aid in the recovery process. Other groups communicated with the various shelters, gathering information about emerging needs and distributing the information to the congregation, inviting and enabling response. You brought food and clothes, you served in shelters, and you responded in so many other ways. You took action as the Body of Christ. I pray this storm will not be as severe, yet I ask you to prepare your hearts as we watch the storm.