Hurricane Rita made landfall near
Port Arthur, Texas, pounding that area of Texas and the westernmost parts
of Louisiana including Lake Charles, Cameron, and Abbeville, early Saturday,
Sept. 24. The storm brought less damage than had been feared, largely
sparing low-lying Galveston and Houston, Texas, though heavy rains flooded
large parts of the southwestern coast of Louisiana and put New Orleans
under water for a second time.
Ten thousand (10,000) CWS Blankets and
10,000 "Gift of the Heart" Health Kits are being provided to
assist in Rita-affected areas. A CWS-trained and assisted network
of local emergency response organizations is assisting Hurricane Rita-affected
families with immediate and long-term needs - as they have been helping
those affected by Katrina. This week, CWS Disaster Response and Recovery
Liaison Joann Hale is working in southeastern Texas and western Louisiana,
continuing the work begun by DRRL Heriberto Martinez with Houston, Austin,
and San Antonio recovery organizations. In addition, CWS trauma recovery
teams will help church leaders and other caregivers to work with communities
traumatized by Katrina and Rita.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, CWS has thus far provided more than $1.2 million in material assistance, including CWS Blankets, "Gift of the Heart" Health Kits, School Kits, Kids Kits, and Emergency Clean-up Buckets, as well as 20 Interchurch Medical Assistance medicine boxes (with enough medicines for about 20,000 people for three months), and UNICEF Recreational Kits to help children cope with the stress of displacement. Shipments have been made to Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, as well as to relocation centers in Michigan and Virginia.