Irreparable damage, looters, and hordes of homeless people from all different classes were the results of Hurricane Katrina that blew in through the Gulf Coast, however, through the turmoil many Christians have joined together to pray looking for God’s presence.
After the storm, Louisiana, which is heavily dominated by Roman Catholics prayed alongside the religiously conservative Gulf Coast.
"No matter what religion you are, whether you’re a Catholic…whether you're Baptist or so on, so on, and so on – we all pray. We all pray," Gail Henke told AP after the hurricane blew in through New Orleans.
Meanwhile, The Louisiana Gov. told the residents to pray on Wednesday, which Gov. Kathleen Blanco said "would be the best thing to calm our spirits and thank our Lord we are survivors," according to AP.
The Hurricane is claiming to be one of the nation’s largest disasters and is being compared to the destruction caused in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake in casualties.
The mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin said the disaster has reached "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."
In addition, President Bush released a statement saying that the aftermath of Sept 11 though a man-made disaster can be compared to the Hurricane Katrina because both are, "just as serious."
"New Orleans is more devastated than New York was," Bush said reported AP.
The President is scheduled to tour the Gulf Coast region on Friday and has asked his father, former president George H.W. Bush, and former president Clinton to lead a private fund-raising campaign for the victims. Both former Presidents have taken part in campaigns similar to the one that President Bush is requesting.
While, an additional 10,000 National Guards were sent to the Gulf Coast area bringing the number to over 28,000 troops who are taking part in relief and rescue teams. Some are calling this response the largest military action to a natural disaster.
Other world Christian leaders that included the Pontiff and the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Christian churches, groups and organizations are offering their prayers for the victims and for the mending of the damaged cities by supporting the survivors with aid and relief kits.
