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Church World Service Emergency Response and Long-term Recovery Teams Gearing Up As Katrina Devastates

August 29, 2005

NEW YORK – As Hurricane Katrina moves through coastal Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and northward, humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS) says it is prepared to respond with material resources and support for community-based, long-range recovery groups.

The now-downgraded hurricane spared New Orleans the worst scenario this morning, but are still pummeling and causing flooding in Gulf Coast cities.

Of particular concern are those who lacked the resources to leave New Orleans, as was urged by the city’s mayor as well as President Bush. "With 28 percent of New Orleans' residents living below poverty level," says CWS Associate Director for Domestic Emergency Response Linda Reed Brown, "CWS is mobilizing to help the most vulnerable with long-term recovery."

CWS's Domestic Response and Recovery Liaison (DRRL) network is at the ready to assist vulnerable communities in assessing immediate and long-term needs once the storm has passed. "Our assigned disaster response liaisons will work with the faith community, support forming recovery groups, and request material resources," reports Brown. CWS Gift of the Heart Health Kits are positioned for shipment, as are blankets.

Brown says, "While we'll have to wait for results of assessments, it's clear that even though New Orleans was spared the worst of storm surge catastrophes, there's no doubt that damage to homes and possessions will be major, throughout affected areas. Those who couldn’t even afford to get out of town to safety are likely to be least able to recover from losses," she said. "That's where CWS and community-based recovery organizations will be invaluable."

Meteorologists are calling Katrina one of the three or four most severe hurricanes to hit land in recorded weather history.

Church World Service was instrumental in building recovery capacity among vulnerable and under-served populations in Florida last year after the busy 2004 hurricane season. FIND, or Florida Interfaith Networking in Disasters, is continuing to respond to emergencies and sustaining recovery efforts, based on skills and procedures presented in CWS Interfaith Trauma and Response Trainings.

One of the first agencies called by FEMA along with the Red Cross in times of national disaster, New York-headquartered CWS responds to natural and human-caused disasters internationally and domestically. In the U.S., CWS provides emergency aid domestically but also specializes in long-term recovery, working with local faith communities, social service agencies and emergency management partners to assist vulnerable populations.

Church World Service is issuing an emergency fundraising appeal today for victims of Katrina. Contributions may be made online, or sent via regular mail to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515.

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;

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