To say the situation in New Orleans is bleak is putting it mildly. After facing threats to their lives, victims of “Killer Katrina” now face the prospect of having to leave the area entirely for perhaps months so work crews can begin the daunting challenge of draining flood waters from a city usually flooded with merry-making tourists.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, engineers in New Orleans are scrambling to repair two broken levees; the mayor is estimating that hundreds, if not thousands, of city residents are dead; and a public health emergency has been declared for the entire Gulf Coast. And as the flooding continues to grow worse in the “Big Easy,” Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco has ordered everyone in the City of New Orleans to leave — including the estimated 25,000 people holed up in the Superdome, who will be bused to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.
Faced with widespread looting in New Orleans, Governor Blanco is asking residents of the hurricane-ravaged city to spend today in prayer. “That would be the best thing to calm our spirits and thank our Lord that we are survivors,” she says, adding: “Slowly, gradually, we will recover; we will survive; we will rebuild.” Some of the looting is taking place in full view of police and National Guardsmen.
Officials are estimating it could take as long as a month to drain all the water from New Orleans — and six to eight weeks to get power back on in the city after the water is drained. “We are looking at 12 to 16 weeks before people can come in,” New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin told ABC television earlier today.
Assistance “In Absentia“
The chairman of the Christian Emergency Network says Christians are uniquely prepared to help hurricane victims. Since Katrina made landfall, Mary Marr says her organization has sent numerous alerts through its website, encouraging believers to shine the light of Christ during the aftermath of the disaster.
Marr says believers can help out — without being on site. “I would not recommend going to that area at all because you can actually do more harm by getting in the way of those people who are trying to do their jobs,” Marr says.
“And I would also not recommend sending items to organizations unless they specifically address that need, because sometimes they can spend more time trying to distribute the things that they do not need, or remove them or get rid of them, and it actually takes away from their time.”
So how can Christians help out? Marr encourages them to donate to ministries involved in recovery and rebuilding efforts, to pray for victims and emergency personnel, and to share the love of Christ during this time of tragedy.
“If you take some spiritual aids along with, maybe some literature that you have on hand or a few Bibles, just throw those in,” she suggests. “And if you're on the highway for several hours, what a wonderful way for you to share how the Lord has really helped you, and how you can really then help and offer hope to those people who are so desperate.”
(This article courtesy of Agape Press.)
