Excerpts from Bishop Packard's Hobart lecture
Victims
are mixed into the population of those who
need de-briefing and post trauma care.
In short, how do you have an evacuee who is
recovering from his or her own trauma minister
to others? It's a big problem although moderated,
I had contended, by the upstate clergy presence
in Louisiana. But as one resident said to me,
"we are all from New Orleans in this state."
She continued tearfully, "I don't know where
my friends are"
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Searching for signs of life in the darkness
with night vision goggles an Episcopal chaplain
discovered one man swimming around a building.
He seemed bewildered but then we realized he
was avoiding rescue. Finally he swam to the
door of a house, entered, and appeared to barricade
the door!
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From
an Episcopal Church recovery perspective
there are two zones in this disaster. One
is on the Mississippi gulf coast and the
other in the City of New Orleans. In Mississippi
Bishop Gray has marshaled resources quickly
and is well rehearsed with his Lutheran counterpart
having done prior projects together. They
are so far along so as to begin plans for
the establishment of long-term work camps.
He is quick to note the indifference of the
population to the looming Katrina storm having
survived Category 5 Camille. "It was the
storm surge," he said to me, "there?s not
much protection against a forty foot wall
of water traveling at seven feet per second."
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As
you make your way around detours and downed
power lines toward Louisiana the difference
between the two areas is summarized in two
words: standing water. Where Katrina came ashore
and walloped the Mississippi Gulf it then receded
whereas in Louisiana low lying areas even beyond
New Orleans caused evacuation, prolonged the
suffering and delayed recovery. Bishop Charles
Jenkins has had to start form scratch. He tapped
a small sheaf of papers on a borrowed desk
and said, "We have nothing, and these are the
diocesan records."
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Alice
Sebold urged us in a recent New York TImes
op-ed, we should "grieve the particular
lives that come to (us)." Carla Holloway
(NPR) observes that this is especially acute
in New Orleans and among the African American
community where certain equality is finally
granted in death. When passing from this
life an individual receives the ceremony
and respect not granted during one's lifetime.
In this City "the craft of burial is deeply
cherished yet the dead had no fair terms,"
she said.
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