Floodwaters continue to rise in New Orleans, inundating over 75 percent of the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as levee sections along a canal leading to Lake Pontchartrain gave way on Aug. 30.

“Louisiana south of Interstate-10 is a wasteland”, the Rt. Rev. Charles E. Jenkins, III, told The Living Church. “We cannot reach some of our clergy, we cannot reach our families.” He characterized the situation as a “nightmare” that is “worsening as we speak.”

The Diocese of Louisiana evacuated its offices to St. James' Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge, 80 miles northwest of New Orleans, according to the Canon to the Ordinary, the Rev. E. Mark Stevenson.

“We have no hard facts” on damage or losses, Canon Stevenson said. “Most everybody left the city [New Orleans], clergy and lay people, but unfortunately some people have stayed. It is a disaster. We just have to pray,” he said.

Bishop Jenkins said that of the 18 parishes in the city of New Orleans, all but “Christ Church Cathedral and perhaps those on the St. Charles Ridge” he expected would be under water. “Cholera, Yellow Fever, West Nile virus” and other water-borne diseases pose a threat now, Bishop Jenkins said.

Christ Church, Slidell, and St. Michael’s, Mandeville, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, and St. Mary’s, Chalmette, east of the city in St. Bernard Parish, are in areas also reported hard hit by the flooding. Power and telephone service across Southern Louisiana is out and the situation in rural parishes outside the city is unclear. But “now is not the time to worry about property,” Bishop Jenkins said, “but to pray to God and to pray for those in need.”

Bishop Jenkins and his wife, Louise, were visiting their son in Hawaii when the storm began its northward path across the Gulf of Mexico. Bishop Jenkins was able to fly in to Shreveport on Aug. 29 and make his way east towards Baton Rouge.

Stopping for the night in “the little town of Mansfield, 40 miles south of Shreveport,” Bishop Jenkins said he was heartened to see the people of Louisiana reach out to those in need as all but one of the community’s churches had opened their doors to refugees from the south.

The diocese’s Executive Committee will meet Aug. 31 at St. James', Baton Rouge, as “we try to assess our needs,” Bishop Jenkins said.

Asked what the wider Church could do, Bishop Jenkins said, “pray”, noting the diocese will hold a special Eucharist at noon on Sept. 1 at St. James' to give thanksgiving to God and to pray for relief.

Bishop Jenkins said he had been in contact with Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, who had offered his prayers and support. He also commended the work of Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), encouraging Episcopalians to support its relief efforts.

To make an ERD contribution to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina, please donate to the U.S. Hurricane Fund by credit card here or by calling 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can also be mailed to: Episcopal Relief and Development, c/o U.S. Hurricane Fund, PO Box 12043, Newark, NJ 07101.

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