What is Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s Role

in our Katrina response program?

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is the organizational unit of Presbyterian Church USA that coordinates and delivers disaster assistance worldwide for the Presbyterian Church USA.  They are coordinating most Katrina relief work being performed by PCUSA

PDA began almost immediately after Katrina to establish volunteer relief worker camps in the affected region.  Working with local Presbyteries and other groups, they have set up six camps as of late January.  These camps provide rudimentary lodging and eating facilities for relief workers coming to the region from all over the world!  Currently, camps have been established at Orange Grove Presbyterian Church in Gulfport, MS; Gautier Presbyterian Church, Gautier, MS; d’Iberville, MS; Pearlington, MS; Houma, LA; and Luling, LA.

PDA is working with other relief organizations to coordinate and facilitate relief responses in specific parts of the affected region.  They do this in several ways.

For example, homeowners desiring assistance with rebuilding their homes must register with PDA to request assistance.  PDA then plans volunteer work teams’ assignments by matching each team’s skills to the needs of the homeowners.  This ensures that the best set of team skills, tools, and equipment is sent to the home for the most effective response to specific needs.  It also avoids the possibility that more than one team could show up one morning planning to help a particular home owner!  It also helps teams ensure that their efforts are well-coordinated and well-aligned with specific needs, rather than perhaps finding that they cannot be as effective as they might have been because too much of the team’s time is spent duplicating some of the planning and work scheduling also being done by PDA.

PDA also requires the homeowner to be present while the work team is at the home.  Although the exact level and type of involvement by the homeowner is entirely the homeowner’s choice, requiring at least the homeowner’s presence is a good way to ensure that specific individual needs are identified and met.  It helps tremendously to increase the homeowner’s feeling of ownership and involvement in his/her home.  It ensures that when questions arise as to exactly how to do a task, the owner owns the decision of how to clean or rebuild his/her home.  And finally, it often creates a wonderful opportunity for the teams to share God’s love and grace directly with people, through prayer and witness and by example.

PDA also arranges for lodging and other team support at one of the volunteer camps.  Volunteers are encouraged to coordinate their teams’ travel plans through PDA to take advantage of the considerable effort PDA has already expended in setting up multiple relief worker camps.  While facilities are Spartan, they are more than adequate, particularly when we remember the conditions those we’re traveling to help are enduring every day of their lives!  Meals are provided for volunteers.  Volunteers bring their own bedding (sleeping bags, etc.) and sleep on cots provided by PDA in enclosed shelters for two or three volunteers per shelter.  In several of the camps volunteer teams have the option of helping run the camp for a week, instead of or in addition to working with homeowners.  Running the camp may include helping cook, clean, or almost any other similar duties the camp managers need done.

By working with PDA, churches within Redstone Presbytery and the members they send on work teams are assured that they can devote the bulk of their planning energy ahead of the trip as well as the vast majority of their time in the region doing the work they went their to do: helping the homeowners!  Teams do not have to burden themselves with substantial efforts to plan meals and lodging and other living matters while in the region if they choose instead to rely on the considerable effort already invested in the area by PDA.

Through this message, Redstone Presbytery hopes to convey to individual churces the value of coordinating your members’ Katrina relief work efforts through PDA.  While that is certainly not the only way your members can help those in need, Redstone Presbytery believes that PDA is doing an excellent job in many ways to help ensure that the efforts of each volunteer team PCUSA sends to the affected region are carried out in the most effective and efficient manner, as well, of course, to the glory of God!