Good Shepherd United Church of Christ

Upon the First Anniversary of Katrina…. And still today…..

From N.O. one year Post-Katrina: We need you, now and for the long haul.

As a New Orleans native I grieve each and every week as I give volunteers a Spiritual and Informational Tour of our Beloved City. I was told one week after a friend had taken a group around herself, “How do you do that weekly? “ She explained how her energy was completely zapped as she finished. The grief leaves those of us who love this city, just vacant and emotionally spent, however, it is important that others understand as we do just what happened and continues to be.

This would be so different if we felt our deep concerns for very basic issues which must be addressed were being heard clearly. Every issue seems to be clouded by misunderstanding and lack of true concern. The actions which will effect our survival must be addressed by congress and as such by the will of the people of the United States of America. Now, you can glean some sense of what we need. We need your informed advocacy!

The enclosed piece authored by Rev. John Pecoul entitled Beyond Katrina: is a call to arms for our fellow Americans to attempt to understand our peril and then respond by being our advocates. We have natural vulnerabilities to Hurricanes, however, that is not what caused the Greatest Natural Disaster to hit the U. S., no the responsibility for the cataclysmic failures and catastrophic human and physical losses falls squarely on the shoulders of the U. S. Government. Agencies created projects which enabled and enhanced the results we all experienced.

We as a country can no longer sit still and allow factors which are under the control of our government agencies to go un-remedied. The knowledge is available, the technology is available, the ability is available, plans are available. Is the Will Available? That is up to you and Congress. All citizens of this country, but especially the most vulnerable, must not be made victims of our government agencies’ policies and ineptness again and again.

Respectfully Submitted,

Carolyn Mains
Relief Coordinator
Good Shepherd UCC