By Sherrie Eddington
Three months after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, aid for victims in the South is slowing down at the national level. However, local efforts continue.
Since the hurricanes, the American Red Cross has run 1,095 shelters and evacuation centers, distributed 27,412,799 meals and reconnected more than 220,000 families.
With all the work being done, the American Red Cross is beginning to hand off the responsibility to other organizations more equipped to handle long-term help, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, local Red Cross chapters and local churches.
?The Red Cross is an organization that provides immediate disaster relief until other organizations can get prepared to help with long-term recovery,? said Katrina Pope, director of emergency services at the Mountain Valley chapter of the American Red Cross. ?There is still casework going on, and mental health contacts, things like that, but basically the Red Cross is trying to wind down its relief and pass on to other organizations.?
Among other things, FEMA is working to remove debris and help victims with insurance and mitigation activities.
Earlier this week, the FEMA Web site reported that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a group commissionable by FEMA during disaster, had removed more than 21.1 million cubic yards of debris.
?The scope of debris operations for these disasters is unprecedented,? said Scott Wells, federal FEMA coordinating officer. ?I am pleased with how effectively federal, state and local officials are working together to clean up after the hurricane, so affected communities can recover.?
The LDS Church in New Orleans is facilitating cleaning and school kit locations. Schools are still opening, and debris is still being cleared.
?We prepare work orders,? said Scott Conlin, president of the New Orleans Stake. ?Those are for members of the church or first-responders like policemen or firemen who have not been able to address their homes yet because of duty. the elderly who have limited resources to fix things in their homes.?
Conlin said groups still come in from all over the South to help on the weekends, and they have contributed a total of 800 man-days of labor in the last month alone.