Hurricane Help - Arkansas

umc.org Admin — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 21:33:00 GMT

By JANE DENNIS

Families fleeing the flood waters and devastation brought on by Hurricane Katrina have found solace at First United Methodist Church in Dumas, Ark., one of a number of locations across Arkansas that have provided help and assistance to neighbors to the south.

The church provided housing, meals and other services for 60 people on Aug. 28, one day before the Category 4 hurricane dealt a devastating blow to the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. In the days following, an additional 100 or more refugees arrived, directed there by Arkansas County Emergency Services. Most are from New Orleans and small communities in southern Louisiana and Mississippi.

“Some were in shock when they got here,” said Rev. Henry A. “Buddy” Ratliff, pastor of the Dumas church. “One family just barely got out and could see the surge behind them. They watched the water cover their front yard. And they’re telling us about 20- to 25-hour drives from New Orleans to get here, and the struggle to get gas along the way.”
When the evacuation notice was issued, many “just picked up everything they could grab and left,” Ratliff said. “Now, they’re calling relatives or FEMA and finding out their home is completely under water, or a couple know that their homes have been completely washed away. They don’t have any idea what they’ll go back to or how. They’re going through a tough time. But they have remarkable spirits.”

The United Methodist church at Dumas partnered with St. Peter’s Rock Missionary Baptist Church and began preparing and serving three meals a day. Cots provided by Desha County Emergency Services were set up in classrooms and spaces throughout the Methodist church. Games and other entertainment for children are offered in the youth activity center, while the adults mainly stay huddled around the television.

“As time goes by and they watch scenes on TV, we’re dealing with a lot of depression and grief,” Ratliff said. Several trained Red Cross counselors and local medical personnel are on hand. Some of the hurricane victims are on insulin or blood pressure medication, “and they had to leave in such a hurry that now they’re running out,” the pastor said.
Other churches, businesses and community groups have donated food, supplies and money to help in the assistance effort. Others have volunteered to help staff the shelter around the clock.

“Our people have been great,” Ratliff said. “We had several things planned at the church this week, but they said, ‘We can’t do that right now — we’ve got to take care of these people.’ They’ve been very generous.”

Other churches in southern Arkansas have also been assisting hurricane victims. Lakeside United Methodist Church in Lake Village, Ark., took its turn serving dinner to a large number of displaced persons staying at the high school gymnasium. The church is also supporting the local ministerial alliance in assessing needs of hurricane victims who are in the area.

[Jane Dennis is editor of the Arkansas United Methodist, the newspaper of the Arkansas Conference.]

Unprecedented Generosity: Oklahoma City University Offers Free Tuition to Any Student Affected by Hurricane Katrina

umc.org Admin — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 21:25:00 GMT

For Immediate Release

SEPTEMBER 1, 2005

Contact: Sarah Molina
Communications and Marketing Writer
for Editorial Services
(405) 208-5348 or smolina@okcu.edu

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University President Tom McDaniel announced Thursday the university will offer free tuition to any student enrolled at a college or university affected by Hurricane Katrina.

This includes but is not limited to students at the following New Orleans schools: Dillard University, Loyola University, Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Southern University at New Orleans, Tulane University, the University of New Orleans and Xavier University. Students enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., also are being offered free tuition.

“We are opening our hearts and our university to these students,” McDaniel said. “Although we can not replace lost lives or undo damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, the OCU community is eager to help. In fact, it is part of the mission of our university. We don’t want this natural disaster to be a road block in these students’ educational path.”

The one semester of free tuition applies to undergraduate, graduate and law programs.

The university has extended its enrollment period by one week. Students may enroll through Sept. 9.

As a further gesture of generosity, university alumni and trustee members are being asked to open their homes to these needy students.

About 3,700 students attend OCU, which offers programs in dance, nursing, music, business, religion and arts and science. One semester of undergraduate tuition is valued at about $8,500.

For more information on enrollment, call Ryan McLaughlin at (405) 208-5051 during business hours. After hours, call Rick Hall at (405) 306-3931 or Bernie Patterson at (405) 255-3474.

United Methodist Hurricane Updates : Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Help - Arkansas

Unprecedented Generosity: Oklahoma City University Offers Free Tuition to Any Student Affected by Hurricane Katrina