Emergency Services Newsletter - Southeastern PA

   Manager extraordinaire!  Dan O'Deens describes relief effort

“What Now?  Fighting Complacency”

Reflections from Pastor Dan- Katrina Relief General Report

by- Dan O’Deens, pastor at Gateway Grace Community Church and Red Cross SPIRIT Team member.

            Hurricane Katrina will be written as the worst disaster on American soil.  We saw the devastation on television while sitting in our living rooms.  To the majority of Americans, the devastation was isolated on the Gulf Coast and  New Orleans.  The horrible hurricane reached far beyond this one region.  Some choose to fix the blame; others choose to fix the problem.  This disaster would force everyone in the nation to pull together to fix the problem.  

            In less than an hour after I asked our leadership team about serving, I had my plane reservation and was heading to Houston.  From there,  I was deployed to Baton Rouge, where the American Red Cross headquarters for Louisiana was stationed.  At headquarters, I was faced with a choice.  I knew I needed to be where the people were.  Leadership was needed, so I stepped up to the plate and said I could be shelter manager.  Immediately, I was deployed to Shreveport.  Once at the shelter, I was directed to talk to, the executive director of the Northwest Louisiana region.  It turned out that he was in great need, as many important staff positions were vacant.  In two days,  I was running daily operations in his office, overseeing his staff,  and beginning to put a plan together to help the people of Louisiana. 

            During my time in Louisiana, I worked with Homeland Security, FEMA, the United Way, Salvation Army, local governments, state senators and representatives.  Our team was organizing programs, allowing church groups and individuals to come in , and taking  people from our shelters to place them all over the United States. 

 One day this could happen to you.  One day each of us might need to reach out for a helping hand.  We will get back to normal…but all over the world, people experience crises quite similar to this.  Let us continue to be a people that resist complacency.  Let us keep the good work of serving God and people in crisis every day.

Tell us your story ...     

*By telling the Red Cross your Hurricane Katrina Story,  you allow the Red Cross to tell your story in the SEPA Chapter's annual report, newsletter, and other ways to help people understand the lifesaving work of the American Red Cross.