Mission Alerts

Gulf States Hurricane Response Strategy
“Helping People Rise Again!”

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have resulted in unprecedented human tragedy from a natural disaster on US soil. The days immediately following the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina were phenomenally challenging and witnessed unacceptable deployment of official resources to rescue and relieve the hundreds of thousands of impacted people. The massive impact of Hurricane Rita compounded the distress caused by Katrina and extended the scope of support needed for lives that have been disrupted. Networks of churches—both formal and informal—in the hurricane stricken areas as well as beyond the directly impacted Gulf Coast states have responded by creating emergency shelters and providing emergency food and supplies to offer relief for displaced persons.

Many churches, among them being Lott Carey partners—the National Baptist Convention of America and the African American Catholic Congregation—swiftly set up a network of Hurricane Relief Centers to provide displaced people with temporary shelter, nutritious meals, communication assistance, and basic personal needs. These churches, in collaboration with a broader network of churches are expanding their responses from relief to resurrection and continuing resource.

Although numbers are fluid and constantly changing, hundreds of thousands of citizens in the impacted regions remain displaced in the region and beyond. Lott Carey is collaborating with various partners in different locations around the impacted region to bring assistance to people displaced and/or evacuated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Partners include:

• The Louisiana Home and Foreign Mission Baptist State Convention
• The National Baptist Convention of America
• The National Missionary Baptist Convention
• The African American Catholic Congregation

These partners are collaborating to provide immediate and intermediary support to families, individuals, and communities affected by the hurricanes. The programs and services to facilitate Relief, Resurrection, and Resource are intended to help people to rise again.


Centers of Support
B. J. Maxon, Jr. Church Resource Center will provide technical assistance for churches to empower them to respond effectively to the needs of evacuees and host communities.

Location:

• Greater Saint Mary Missionary Baptist Church, Lake Charles, LA

William Vernon Relief Centers will provide emergency support for families and individuals to include shelter, food, clothing, personal items, and the like.

Locations:

• True Vine Missionary Baptist Church, Alexandria, LA
• Greater Starlight Missionary Baptist Church, Covington, LA
• Greater Saint Mary Missionary Baptist Church, Lake Charles, LA
• Lake Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, Shreveport, LA

F. H. Dunn Resurrection Centers will provide a range of intermediary support services for families and individuals. The primary areas of support are helping people identify and access the range of programs and services available, screening people for mental health issues that may need immediate attention, offering pastoral counseling support, and providing after school activities to help children adjust to the stress and distress of surviving hurricanes.

Locations:

• Greater Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, LA
• Greater Saint Mary Missionary Baptist Church, Lake Charles, LA
• Lake Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, Shreveport, LA

Hurricane Restoration Services Center, a partnership with Resolutions Rehabilitation LLC under the clinical direction of the Howard University Psychiatric Department, will provide a range of intermediary support services for families and individuals. The primary areas of support are helping people identify and access the range of programs and services available, screening people for mental health issues that may need immediate attention, offering pastoral counseling support

Location:

• African American Catholic Congregation, Imani Temple #49, Lafayette, LA