For religious groups, giving goes on

When a group of volunteers from Columbia’s First Presbyterian Church arrived in New Orleans two months after Hurricane Katrina, the Rev. Kathie Jackson was overwhelmed by the devastation.

Jackson, the associate pastor at First Presbyterian, was shocked by the absence of life: There were no birds chirping, no grass, no dogs barking at passers-by.

“It looked like something from a war movie,” she said. “And it was just such a stark contrast, from a city that was alive to the land of the dead.”

Last month, when a group of volunteers from the church returned to New Orleans, they were surprised to see that not much had changed in the eight months since Jackson had been there. In one home, half-packed suitcases rested on the beds, and a newspaper from Aug. 28, 2005, the day before the storm came ashore, lay on the kitchen table. In a school the group was working in, assignments for the day of the storm were still on the chalkboards.

“Things were still intact almost,” said Nathan See, director of youth ministry for First Presbyterian. “I mean, ruined, but just as how they were left.”

First Presbyterian and other faith-based organizations have played an important role in the post-Katrina relief effort, dedicating time, manpower and money. In a report released in February, the White House praised their work.

“These groups succeeded in their missions, mitigated suffering and helped victims survive mostly in spite of, not because of, the government,” the report stated. “These groups deserve better next time.”

Kim Baldwin, director of public policy for The Interfaith Alliance in Washington, D.C., agrees. However, she says, the massive response by faith-based organizations across the country underscored the federal government’s failure to meet its own obligations.

“I think from the second Katrina came ashore, the federal government failed all Americans,” Baldwin said.

She said religious organizations do not have the financial means to provide relief over the long term. Many of the organizations that opened their hearts and budgets to the relief effort are hurting themselves . Indeed, Baldwin said, congregations have been forced to cancel some of their regular programs such as choirs and day care because their funds and facilities are tied up in the relief effort.

“The reason we’re in this position is because the government failed,” Baldwin said. “The religious community picked up the financial slack for those guys.”

Baldwin said it was the mission of religious groups to provide emergency relief and help people in grief, but none of the groups she met expected to have to do so much, over such a long period.

“Houses of worship are there to help people in hurting time,” Baldwin said. “They’re not there to be the sister organization of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency).”

Jackson said the church has had to tighten its belt a little but was fortunate enough to have some contingency funds that will allow a third group of volunteers to go to the Gulf Coast in September. She’s more worried about the long term ability of the church to respond to the crisis. The Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program’s relief effort along the Gulf Coast is scheduled to last at least seven more years.

“The Presbyterian Church overall is having a more difficult time finding volunteers,” Jackson said.

While churches around the country continue to contribute to the rebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast, others are still helping the evacuees who came to their communities in the wake of Katrina.

In August, the Mid-Missouri office of Lutheran Family and Children’s Services organized Camp Noah, a one-week gathering for children whose families relocated to the area after the hurricane. The organization estimates that there are still 65 displaced families living in Columbia.

“They’ve just gone through so much,” said program coordinator Kristen Setterlund. “It just helps them to be able to tell their story, over and over again.”

Although many children have recovered, counselors say some are still scared of storms or refuse to talk about the disaster.

“We don’t want them to forget what they’ve been through because they won’t, but we want them to be children,” said Douglas Stevens, a counselor. “We have kids here who have seen dead bodies, have walked in the water.”

Ten-year-old Ashleigh Craig, who attended Camp Noah, was stranded in New Orleans before she could evacuate to her aunt’s home in Columbia with her mother. She says that she would like to return someday to the city where her father still lives, but that there isn’t a house there for her family to go back to.

Kathryn Oberg Roberts, disaster relief coordinator for the Lutheran organization, said many families forced out of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast think it could be a long time before they’ll be able to return home.

“Most of the families have a mind-set that they need to remain here,” Roberts said. “They are definitely torn between being part of a new city and culture, and being with family and their roots in New Orleans.”

Some never had the chance to go home.

The Rev. Archie Lambert Sr. always meant to go back to New Orleans, said his daughter Brenda Brown. When the levees broke, his house in the Ninth Ward flooded, forcing the 80-year-old to his roof, where he lived for four days without food or medication. After being rescued, he joined his family who had relocated in Columbia.

But the ordeal took its toll on him physically. He died Aug. 8.

“He was worried a lot about going home,” Brown said. “Going home, going home, going home.”

Missourian reporter Alice Roach contributed to this story.