Easing burdens of disaster recovery in Mississippi.

Through its 300 volunteers who began arriving in Mississippi in January, the Church of the Brethren has lifted some of the burdens of families with unmet needs after Hurricane Katrina. They've helped primarily in George County by rebuilding or repairing more than 60 homes, replacing roofs and taking on countless other tasks that have earned them the respect and friendship of several communities mauled by Hurricane Katrina.

The Church of the Brethren is one of many voluntary agencies that work together in their disaster preparedness efforts through the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), formed after the devastating Hurricane Camille in 1969 to coordinate services provided to communities affected by disasters. NVOAD participate in the National Response Plan. The plan forms the basis of how the federal government coordinates with the state, local and tribal governments, and the private sector during domestic natural or man-made disasters.

"I have a calling...to assist people and to use my talents to give back to the US and to people in need," said church member Don Atkins, an Indiana resident who spent a month in Lucedale supervising others late this spring. He's been doing disaster relief work with the Church of the Brethren for more than six years.

Atkins and the group of volunteers he supervised worked on Naomi Hudson's house.

"The shingles were down, water damaged the porch, and I had no electricity or water for weeks after the storm," said Hudson, a retired sportswear factory worker in George County. "But I was able to move in just two days after these people (the Church of the Brethren) came to help."

Disaster Recovery Services of George County (DRS) gave Hudson's name to the church's relief workers. DRS, which also serves neighboring Greene County, is one of many longterm recovery committees established with the encouragement of the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) throughout the damaged counties of Mississippi to work on Hurricane Katrina rebuilding and repair projects. The Church of the Brethren is among more than 60 members or voluntary organizations that pitch in to help those people designated by DRS as needing the most attention.

Hudson has insurance but not enough to restore her house for occupancy. The Brethren volunteers showed up at her house with tools, building materials, and lots of elbow grease. She reciprocated with daily meals that included baked ham and sweet potatoes, cheesecakes, and strawberries.

Volunteers, young and old, are trained by the church to rebuild and make repairs.

The church has been responding to disasters since 1941 through its Brethren Disaster Response program. When disaster strikes, the Church of the Brethren Disaster Response provides volunteers to clean up debris and to repair or rebuild homes for disaster survivors who lack sufficient resources to hire a contractor or other paid labor. The presence of these volunteer work teams helps to ease the trauma that is felt in the aftermath of a disaster. Its Emergency Disaster Fund was established in 1960. The church also is known worldwide for its Disaster Child Care program.

Disaster Child Care (DCC) offered a post-Katrina hand to more than 2,700 children, many of them evacuees, at 14 locations in 9 states, including Mississippi. The program trains, certifies, and mobilizes volunteers to disaster sites in the US to provide crisis intervention to young children of families suffering from natural or man-made disasters. Professional counselors are also available to inform and educate parents, teachers, community workers, and the general public about the effects of disasters on children.

Voluntary organizations are an important part of the US Department of Homeland Security's FEMA mission to provide support and guidance to states recovering from disaster.

"I've got new friends from all over the world," said Hudson about the Brethren.

The feeling is mutual.

"We get more out of this work than we put in," said Atkins.

--This article appeared originally as a press release from FEMA and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. It is reprinted here with permission.

Source: 11/08/2006 Newsline