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Feds Pass Hurricane Aid Bill; Meanwhile, Churches Assist Coordinated Relief Efforts

by Jenni Parker and Allie Martin
September 9, 2005

(AgapePress) - On Thursday the full U.S. Senate gave unanimous approval to a $51.8 billion hurricane relief bill to supplement funding for federal agencies providing disaster assistance to the Gulf Coast states devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will get the bulk of the funding -- $50 billion -- for its ongoing response and recovery efforts, while $1.4 billion will go to the Department of Defense for costs associated with deploying military units to assist hard-hit communities.

The Corps of Engineers will also receive $400 million to implement flood control measures and to continue repairs to pump stations and levees in the affected areas. Meanwhile, $23 billion of the allocation to FEMA is designated for assistance to individuals and $7.6 billion is for public assistance to state and local governments to rebuild non-federal public infrastructure.

Provisions in the bill require the Corps of Engineers and FEMA to make weekly reports to Congress on the use of the federal funds, and the Department of Defense is required to report to Congress within five days of any transfers of funds in the relief effort. Also included in the bill is $15 million for the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security to conduct investigations and audits of Hurricane Katrina response and recovery efforts to ensure that the funds are being disbursed as authorized.

"We are making sure that this funding gets to the people who need it," says Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi). He points out that the destructiveness of the storm is not lost on the U.S. legislature.

"Hurricane Katrina was a destructive force of monumental proportions," Cochran notes. "It led to the most widespread destruction of the Gulf Coast States from any natural disaster in history, so the relief being provided now by federal government agencies is very meaningful and deeply appreciated."

The Mississippi Republican says the U.S. Senate "understands the needs of the people who are affected by this disaster." The bill is the second emergency spending measure to pass Congress in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Christian Communities Respond -- Sheltering the Homeless
The Tupelo, Mississippi-based American Family Association (AFA) is coordinating the housing needs of displaced Hurricane Katrina victims with churches willing to help. On its website, the ministry has a listing of churches that have members willing to take in families for the next three to six months. Churches wanting to participate in the Adopt-a-Family program can register at the site.

"We need the public's help in getting the word out to the victims that there is housing available for them," says AFA chairman Donald Wildmon. "We are hopeful that churches and individuals will help. We feel this system can help cut through all the red tape and put those needing help and those offering help together."

However, Wildmon notes that AFA is only acting in a facilitating capacity by providing information to help hurricane victims connect with churches offering help. He says it is up to those seeking a place to live to contact the church directly.

Christian congregations and groups across the U.S. are banding together to offer their assistance to Hurricane Katrina survivors. Only days after the storm barreled into the Gulf Coast, churches and other social service organizations throughout the Tupelo area met to organize a joint response to aid those left homeless by the hurricane.

Various northeast Mississippi churches have volunteered for a number of projects, including cleanup in affected areas, feeding evacuees staying at local hotels, and organizing food and clothing drives. The area churches plan on holding regular meetings to determine how best to continue aiding hurricane victims.

Visiting the Sick, Feeding the Hungry
Tommy Galloway, pastor of Word of Life Church in Tupelo, says God placed it on his heart to reach out to the sick and injured evacuees that have come into the local hospitals.

The minister notes that authorities say "over a hundred people are here in the hospitals," so he says his church is committing "to find these people in the hospitals and minister to their needs, whatever they may need."

Galloway calls his city a "prime example of churches coming together and laying down everything for one cause." While the Christian community there has never anticipated having to respond to a disaster of such proportions as Hurricane Katrina, he feels believers are rising to the occasion to make the most of a tremendous opportunity for ministry and outreach.

And Word of Life's pastor points out that the act of reaching out brings rewards both to the receivers of aid and to the givers. "We're here; and, as one person has said in here, the mission field has come to us," Galloway says. "I think that we weren't really prepared," he adds, "but now we're preparing for the greatest revival ever seen."

Down in the state's devastated Gulf Coast area, another Mississippi church is becoming a focal point for hurricane relief efforts there. The parking lot of First Baptist Church of Pascagoula is currently filled with Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief units from Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas. Among other things, those relief workers are busy addressing one of the most basic needs -- keeping disaster victims in the area from going hungry.

Every day there at the Mississippi church, more than 10,000 meals are prepared and served to hurricane victims. Grace Hancock, a lifelong resident of Pascagoula who lost her house, all her possessions and two pets in the recent storm, says she and her husband have eaten lunch and dinner in the First Baptist parking lot for the past five days.

"It's a great big help," Hancock says. "It's good to get a hot meal every day, at least twice a day. It's a blessing." She blesses all the volunteers, noting, "If it wasn't for them, I guess we'd be lost."

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