Hurricane Gustav

September 5, 2008 photos

Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana

Gustav Update

In Baton Rouge, on day nine (9/10/08) 50% of the traffic lights are up and 66% of the power has been restored to homes. Volunteers are now coming to help with Gustav cleanup in Baton Rouge, but keeping an eye on Ike's arrival at the end of the week. Pastors and folks from Christ Brenham, St. Paul Lake Charles, Peace Slidell and Hosanna Mandeville are helping out this week.

Assistant to the Bishop Peggy Hahn and Bishop Rinehart were in Louisiana last week. The damage in Baton Rouge is extensive. The media makes it seem Louisiana "dodged a bullet," but it doesn't feel that way in BR. Nothing nears the scope of the catastrophe that was Katrina, but Gustav was a disaster. Trees and power lines are down everywhere. It will take weeks to get power to the 600,000 homes that lack it. Nearly every traffic signal is out, and so the city has imposed at 9 p.m. curfew. 400 homes have been entered by falling trees, and 2,000 homes are without power.

Click here for photos and more information.

Click here for Pastor John McCullough-Bade's BR photos!

Although many have no power, all congregations are having worship. See below for an update on congregations.

Meanwhile, as you can see above, Ike is headed our way as a Category 4.

HOW TO HELP

First of all, THANK YOU!

1. PRAYER: Your prayers are always welcome. Remember the congregations of Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Orleans and surrounding areas in your personal and congregational prayers. Pastor Amy Zietlow, hospice CEO asks your prayers for hospice acute care patients in her facility in Baton Rouge, which is without power.

2. FINANCIAL GIFTS: Congregational income suffers at times like this. It is hard to pay pastors. Some of our pastors and congregations are still struggling financially from Katrina three years ago. Our bishop and Synod Rapid Response Team are forming a synod rapid response pastoral care team to provide on-site care for pastors and congregations. Cash gifts will be used to support pastors and their families. Checks may be sent to:
The TX-LA Gulf Coast Synod
12707 I-45 North, Suite 580
Houston, TX 77060
Mark checks "Gustav Recovery."

3. VOLUNTEERS: Volunteers are be needed in Baton Rouge to help clean up trees and brush. Please wait before you send volunteers and gifts in kind until we see what happens with Ike. Check back at this website for more information.

Gustav was a Category 3 hurricane with winds exceeding 115 MPH. Gustav made landfall at 9:30 a.m. Monday, September 1. Gustav claimed 80 lives in the Caribbean.

UPDATES ON CONGREGATIONS

·         Kim Little-brooks, Our Savior's Baton Rouge –  Many trees down, but none hit the church. Sewer is caving in. One member whose home was pretty much destroyed. We’ve checked in with our elderly. 9:30 church.

·         Grace, New Orleans, was blessed with no damage to the building and mostly left with cleanup according to Leon Philpot.  We lost one large palm tree.  We are up and running with power and ready to provide shelter for those families returning without power, and any evacuees from Hurricane Ike.

·         Robin McCullough-Bade and John Bade, Baton Rouge – Many trees down. 15 on our street alone. Power lines still on the ground. Could use LSS hardship grant for OS organist.

·         Pat Keen, Bethlehem New Orleans – Pat's going from Charlotte to Dallas for a meeting. No news on Bethlehem building damage. 50 of his folks went to Atlanta. 3 to Lutherhill.

·         Sonny Kern, Hosanna Mandeville (New Orleans, North) -- home and has power. So does Hosanna.

·         Ken Burke, First Lafayette, is okay. Ken's iwthout power. A tornado went through Lafayette and killed 2. Site OK, less a few shingles.

·         Ken Schumann, Church of the Galilean in La Place. No power. No damage. Can stop in Hammond. Never lost power.

·         Ron Unger, Christ the King Kenner (per Walt) No building damage.

·         Todd LaGrange – St. Mark’s Metairie (New Orleans) – Sewers out and they’re asking us not to use water. Power out.

·         St. Paul Baton Rouge has a little damage in the corner of the Fellowship Hall. Worship at 8:15 and 11. Interim Pastor Faith Jensen

·         Tim Norris, St. Paul, Lake Charles  - Is back, there's no building damage.

Hurricane Gustav Photos and Info

Baton Rouge

September 5, 2008

Immediately upon crossing from Texas to Louisiana you can tell that things are not normal.

As we enter Baton Rouge, every street is filled with debris and downed trees.

Pastor Kim Littlebrooks and an Our Savior's member at their home.

This Our Savior's organist's home. They were in the bedroom when the tree fell through it. Another bedroom was also hit by a tree. They are currently living in a camper that is available for three days.

OS' organist and family

Front of organist's house - master bedroom.

Across the street a car port and car didn't make it.

Here the bottom of the pole is not to be found, but the top is still in place. Pictures cannot convey: there are power lines down everywhere. They're off the road now, but still lying along the road, on fallen trees, etc. Poles and power boxes down. This will take weeks to clean up.

Some gas stations are open, but most have no gas. This station had no gas, but had opened their convenience store. Cash only. In other places, churches have set up BBQ's with free hot foot for residents.

The eastbound traffic on I-10 is heavy but moving as people return to New Olreans. I-10 was closed for a portion of the day in Baton Rouge, as electrical workers worked on trunk lines.

Again, photos cannot convey - trees are down everywhere.

What do you do when a hurricane damages your roof? Shrink-wrap your house.

We had to weave around the city. I-10 was closed, and often the road was blocked by trees, workers or in this case, flood waters that have come down from rains to the north.

This is the kind of scene we saw on nearly every corner.

The hardest-hit neighborhood we saw was that of Pastor John Bade and Pastor Robin McCullough-Bade. Every yard in this large complex of neighborhoods was affected. In many cases trees had landed in the middle of the house, demolished a wing, or half the house.

Driving through the neighborhood was like an obstacle course.

Thankful for the unusually cool weather, we had a late dinner with John and Robin, by candlelight of course, there being no electricity, then headed out.

New Orleans

September 6, 2008

Driving into New Orleans at 10 p.m. the traffic is very heavy, but moving quickly. Even at night damage is evident. It is not as extensive as Baton Rouge, but still acute in places. Portions of the roof of a Methodist church near Peggy's parents' home is laying on the lawn. If this is what "dodging a bullet" is like...

We left Baton Rouge just before the 9 p.m. curfew. Peggy stayed at her parents' house and I stayed with Pastor Ron and Deborah Unger, pictured here just back from dinner with friends celebrating Deborah's birthday. Ron and Deborah lost their whole house in Chalmette and everything they owned in Katrina.

Today (9/6/08) we are taking supplies to a shelter in New Orleans. I hope to find a gas station and fill up, and help Ron with some brush in the morning. At 2:00 we are visiting with Kurt Senske (LSSS) and Kurtis Schultz (LCMS district president) to assess damage, go over recovery efforts and plan for Ike, who seems ready to enter the Gulf. I'll try to update these photos tonight.