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World Relief Responding to Hurricane Victims

NEW ORLEANS, LA (August 31, 2005) - Covenant World Relief will be working in partnership with World Relief International and other organizations in responding to the devastation left in the path of Hurricane Katrina - the storm has virtually destroyed the city of New Orleans and has severely damaged a wide area of the Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama Gulf Coast.

Tens of thousands have been left homeless with emergency efforts under way to evacuate thousands more who sought shelter in New Orleans, only to learn that the water level continues to rise as water pours through a breach in the flood levee. "Covenant World Relief will be working in partnership with World Relief International (WRI) and other church groups as an effective means of quickly joining in this compassionate outreach," says Jim Sundholm, Covenant World Relief director.

Reports coming into the office of the Southeast Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church remain sketchy, but it is possible that homes of Covenanters living in the area of Natchez, Mississippi, may also have suffered flood damage, says Conference Supt. Kurt Miericke.

"There's going to be damage to a lot of homes," Miericke said. "There's a lot of mobile homes." Natchez is about an hour from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was hit hard by the storm, Miericke said.

Meanwhile, most eyes remain fixed on areas hardest hit by the storm and the evacuation and emergency services efforts under way. "News of entire communities being flooded, flattened schools, gutted offices, collapsed apartment complexes and destroyed church buildings have already saddened our hearts and brought all those suffering to mind," said WRI President William P. Janus this morning in announcing his organization's response.

Response will be channeled largely through partnerships with local churches, say Janus and Sundholm, helping them "to be Christ in their community." The relief efforts are designed to equip local churches in affected areas with both the financial resources and the much-needed supplies to both clean up what Katrina has left behind and to rebuild.

"Like most of our communities, WRI understands that churches already make up a grassroots volunteer network that can be mobilized immediately to be the hands and feet of Christ," Janus observes. "This follows the disaster response model used in Indonesia after the tsunami, as well as other relief efforts that WRI has led during our 60 years of operation. World Relief International will work with participating churches to provide assistance solely on the basis of need, encouraging them to reach out to their entire community."

Sundholm agrees with the strategy of using local churches, which are often well positioned to respond quickly using volunteer forces. They also have an advantage in that they know the communities and the broader areas quite well. Covenant World Relief also is pursuing partnerships with a number of denominations having local churches in affected areas to distribute funds for much-needed relief.

Those interested in contributing to the relief effort may send contributions to Covenant World Relief, 5101 N. Francisco Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625, designating gifts to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. Donations also may be made online at Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. All online gifts will receive a charitable acknowledgement by mail for tax purposes.

Miericke will continue to monitor the situation in Mississippi, something not unfamiliar to him given the history of storm activity throughout the southeast in recent years that has damaged numerous Covenant churches. Three hurricanes caused heavy damage to several Covenant churches last year when the storms ripped across Florida.

"When Katrina crossed Florida last week, it toppled trees and knocked out power at Covenant Village," Miericke noted. "However, the damage was nothing compared to what was inflicted in the south Monday. The water came down so hard and so fast - I tell you, we're really tired of this stuff."

"My heart goes out to these people," Miericke continued. "There's going to be a lot of lives lost." The estimated death toll from the storm is approaching 100, mostly in Mississippi. Officials said the number is likely to go much higher.

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