INTRODUCTIONHurricane Katrina, the first Category 5 hurricane of the 2005Atlantic hurricane season, combined with Hurricane Rita,forever changed the Gulf Coast region and how the nationviews itself. The major damage to the coastal regions ofLouisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama made Hurricane Katrinathe costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States.More than 1,000 people died in the wake of the storm andseveral thousands are still reported missing. As the storm surgebreached the levee system that protected New Orleans andflooded 80 percent of that city, illusions about poverty, race,and environmental issues were shattered. In its place,connections about how we treat God’s creation and God’speople came into sharp focus.

VULNERABLE LAND AND PEOPLE: CONNECTIONSThe death, destruction, and environmental degradation in NewOrleans and throughout the Gulf of Mexico region brought tolight the need for a renewed covenant of community. The windand waters that battered the Gulf States stripped away ourcollective blindness to the plight of the poor and marginalizedamong us and awakened us anew to the challenges facedenvironmental racism. We were reminded of our dependenceon God’s creation and recognized that too often our lifestylechoices despoil the Earth and expose communities to greaternatural harm and environmental threats. (Source: adapted fromUnited Methodist General Board of Church and Society statement)

Through the Eyeof a Hurricane: Rebuilding JustCommunitiesNational Council of Churches USAEco-Justice Program

Levees, trade, and commerceLevees have traditionally been built not just for flood pro-tection, but to aid in the transport of commerce. As the citypoised near the entrance of the Mississippi River, the port of New Orleans has been an epicenter of river trade and commerce for centuries. The port, which handles 11.4 milliontons of general cargo each year, facilitates the shipment ofmaterials including manufactured and consumer goods, steel,coffee, wood products and natural rubber.

The Mississippi River levees, comprised of levees, flood-walls, and various control structures, are 2,203 miles long andare designed to protect the alluvial valley against flooding andallow for commercial shipping and boat navigation. The leveesare constructed by the federal government and are maintainedby local interests, except for government assistance as neces-sary during major floods. The levee system in New Orleanswas built for the purpose of protecting the city from floods and includes the recently breeched levees along the IndustrialCanal and London Street Canal, which were constructed toallow for navigation and drainage into Lake Pontchartrain. While levees can help protect human populations from flood-waters and aid in the transport of goods, they also restrict theflow of rivers. This restriction limits sediment deposits alongthe Mississippi River’s floodplain. Floodplains help maintainhealthy river eco-systems by improving water quality andproviding habitat and breeding sites for plants and animals.(Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Canal)

Two-thirds of Asians and African Americans, a majority of Hispanics and a plurality of Whites express concern in the surveyabout the potential negative impact of climate change by agreeing that “global warming and weak environmental protectionpolicies have resulted in an increase in the number and power of hurricanes.” (source: New California Media Poll)

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Wetlands and Coastal BarriersWetlands and natural shoreline ecosystems provide both habi-tat for wildlife and protect human populations from stormssuch as hurricanes and tsunamis. Coastal marshes, which trapfloodwaters, filter out pollutants and serve as “nurseries” forwildlife are disappearing nationwide at a rate of 20,000 acresper year. Louisiana alone has lost half a million acres of wet-lands since the 1950s. These natural coastal barriers on theGulf have nearly been destroyed by decades of erosion andindustrial use. Although no amount of natural protection canprevent all destruction, environmental degradation almostcertainly makes the impact worse.

Toxic ContaminationAccording to U.S. Coast Guard data, at least 575 spills of toxicchemicals or oil were reported due to Hurricane Katrina andRita, spilling over 8 million gallons of oil alone. Numerousindustrial facilities, Superfund sites, and other toxic hotspotswere located in New Orleans and the Gulf Region and impact-ed the amount of toxic chemicals and oil that were released asa result of the hurricanes. The widespread presence of poten-tially toxic sediment poses an immediate health risk to return-ing residents and cleanup workers.

Solid Waste According to some accounts, over 100 million tons of debriswere generated by the hurricanes, ranging from trees and brushto thousands of destroyed homes and an estimated 350,000ruined vehicles. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)and others have already collected thousands of containers ofhousehold hazardous waste and other hazardous materials. The cost of debris removal and disposal contracts reportedlyalready exceeds $2 billion. Unsafe disposal of hazardousmaterials or burning waste will impact human and environ-mental health.

Water QualityDrinking water and sewage systems were hit hard by the twostorms, leaving more than 2.4 million people without safedrinking water. As of October 10, the EPA reported that 270public water systems in storm-affected states were still on boilwater advisories, and at least 289 systems were still inopera-ble. The American Water Works Association has estimated thatthe cost of repairing the drinking water systems alone will beabout $2.25 billion dollars. In addition, more than a dozensewage systems were damaged and could impact water qualityin the region.

Environmental Racism Environmental degradation has traditionally disproportionatelyimpacted communities of color and low income communities.Nationwide, 3 out of every 5 African Americans and Latinoslive in communities with toxic waste sites.1 Also, 71 percent ofAfrican-Americans and Latinos live in communities where airpollution violates federal clean air standards (compared with58% of whites)3 In New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward, EPA’s post-hurricane studies show arsenic levels 75 times higher than resi-dential standards allow.2 While Hurricane Katrina and Ritaimpacted all classes and races, communities of color and lowincome populations bore a larger brunt of the storms’ impacts.

Sources:1“Toxic Wastes and Race,” UCC2The Baton Rouge Advocate3Air of Injustice

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTSGlobal warming and climate change have dire humanhealth and environmental consequences, especially inmarginalized communities that are sited in low-lyingareas. While the scientific evidence linking hurricaneintensity and global warming is still being studied,Hurricane Katrina and Rita offered striking evidence as to which communities could be hardest hit during climate change events.

“The situation in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast haspushed three critical issues into the national spotlight. First, Hurricane Katrina dramatically demonstrates ourvulnerability to environmental disasters. Second, Americastill suffers from gross economic inequalities, and theseinequalities largely coincide with race. Third, these twoissues are linked, and the results can be deadly. Here lies the root cause of the problems that we’ve seen in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast—the environmental and economic vulnerability of people of color and poorcommunities. There are two terms that aptly describe these intersections of race, class, and the environment: ‘environmental injustice’ and ‘environmental racism.’”Beverly Wright (Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Xavier

University in New Orleans.)

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More than 900 houses of worship on the Gulf Coast have been destroyed, seriously damaged or forced to suspend servicesby hurricanes Katrina and Rita. (source: Religion News Service)

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice andexult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! “TheLORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has

turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is inyour midst; you shall fear disaster no more.” “On that day itshall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion. … I willremove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproachfor it…”

These words of Zephaniah never meant much to my congre-gation. But that was before Hurricane Katrina. Before theyescaped their homes in makeshift rafts; before they savedneighbors from rising water; before they learned that a bodyfloated for days on their block. After so much death; after somuch devastation; after so much horror, Zephaniah bringsgood news of great joy: Do not fear, O New Orleans. … I willremove disaster from you. Local, state, and federal officialsmay have abandoned us in the aftermath of the hurricane, butGod has not. The King of Israel, the Lord, was in our midst aswe struggled against rising flood waters and escalating vio-lence. And God promises us a way through these times. A newday is coming when flooded homes and burned out streets willbe a memory. Through God’s spirit, the city will rebuild in ajust way—more in harmony with nature and neighbor. It willbe sustainable and protected against hurricane storm surges.And it will be a place where prosperity touches every neigh-borhood. All God’s people will share in Zephaniah’s hope for afuture of flourishing. A hope that seemed unreachable in thedays following Katrina.

We live in the promise of Zephaniah, and we trust that thesufferings of these days are the birth pangs of new life. As werepair our homes, we give thanks for the salvation we’ve expe-rienced and we look forward to disaster and death being nomore. We see Zephaniah’s promises of joy and restoration ful-filled in Jesus Christ. Through his life, death, and resurrection,Jesus offers a path beyond the darkness that sometimes seemsto control the world. By his ministry, and the ongoing work ofthe Holy Spirit, the old creation is giving way to a new cre-ation: a creation where hope takes hold; where prosperity andwholeness replace poverty and brokenness; and, where despairgives way to joy.

Sermon Notes: Stories from the Crescent Cityby Rev. Cory Sparks, Carrollton United Methodist Church, New Orleans, Louisiana

As our neighborhoods rebuild, we embrace the promise oftransformation found in Zephaniah. This vision guides ourOperation New Creation. Operation New Creation seeks shortand long term solutions for relief and recovery. Through thisministry we provide food and supplies to members, neighbors,and visitors. We also sponsor mission teams that clean mold-filled homes throughout the city. In many cases orange, green,and black mold covers everything from floor to ceiling. Ourvolunteers provide information on potential health conse-quences to residents. We’ve arranged for a toxicologist toassess other threats in flooded areas so we can protect our-selves and our neighbors.

We’re also seeking a vision for the rebuilding of the com-munity. Many citizens are concerned that contractors, bureau-crats, and a small elite will make decisions for the entire com-munity. Faith-based community organizations and environ-mental groups hope to remake New Orleans as a more sustain-able and just place. If we want disaster removed from us, weneed to live in right relationship with the land and one another.We should protect our environment and promote the prosperityof the entire community.

We’re deeply thankful that the Spirit has strengthened us forthis work. In these weeks we’ve already seen one victory. Thechurch has partnered with a neighborhood group and a majornonprofit to renovate an abandoned school. For more than adecade the building has sat rotting in the heart of the neighbor-hood. It’s just a block from a corner that has been the site ofmultiple murders over recent months. The new school will bea construction careers academy. By January, the college trackhigh school will be preparing students for jobs rebuilding ourcity. With this school the neighborhood will find a more pros-perous and peaceful future. It will be built according to greenprinciples, using materials that are less toxic and more energyefficient. Students will be trained with this same vision of sus-tainability, learning techniques that will protect God’s Earthand preserve New Orleans’ historic architecture. By workingtoward a more sustainable future we hope to awaken to a timeof flourishing; when we shall fear disaster no more.

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Hurricane Katrina, in particular, helped to expose thetragedy of urban poverty. Nearly 50,000 New Orleans’residents lived in neighborhoods where the poverty rateexceeded 40 percent, compounding the impacts of the hurricane.

Lifestyle Choices ConnectionAlthough Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were natural disasters,the lifestyle choices that we have made as a United Statespopulation confounded the storms’ devastation. An industrialarea along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge andNew Orleans, nicknamed “Cancer Alley” contains chemicalplants that sustained damage from the storms. The plants werelocated along the Mississippi to facilitate shipping, but havenow resulted in Louisiana, one of the most impoverished areasof the country, becoming the most polluted. The area, whichcontains hundreds of hazardous waste sites from mines,factories, and chemical plants, houses the very industrial sites that produce many of our consumer goods such as vinylsiding, plastics, and oil.

THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE: OUR CALL TO ACTIONThe Gulf Coast Hurricanes are not catastrophes isolated to a subsection of God’s world. They are tragedies that havetouched and will continue to touch all of God’s creation,including God’s people. In particular, Hurricanes Katrina andRita revealed how our consumer lifestyles and the resultingtoxic byproducts have compounded the devastation in the GulfCoast region. Indeed, across the country and around the world,our consumer lifestyles continue to produce silent destructionand undermine the health of marginalized communities. AsChristians, we are called to act on our beliefs and to work forjustice and peace for all of God’s creation.These actionsinclude personal actions, congregational action, and publicwitness with policy makers.

• Use consumer products that don’t produce harmful toxins in the manufacturing process.

• Help reduce the need for oil refineries and oil drilling bydriving less, carpooling, using public transportation andusing a vehicle that gets high fuel economy.

• Conduct a worship service in your congregation that high-lights the environmental justice impacts of the Gulf CoastHurricanes.

• Speak out to policy makers for the need for right relation-ships with God’s creation and God’s people. Use the Eco-Justice principles listed on the back page when contactingpolicy makers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND FURTHER STUDYHurricane Katrina Relief Resource (Presbyterian Church USA): www.pcusa.org/katrina/worship.htm

Hurricane Emergency Relief Portal (Episcopal Church):www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_64842_ENG_HTM.htm

Peace Signs (Mennonite Church USA):peace.mennolink.org/cgi-bin/m.pl?a=239

When the Wind Blows (United Methodist Church, General Board of Discipleship):www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=14793

National Hurricane Center: www.nhc.noaa.gov/

FEMA: www.fema.gov/

Worship Resource for After the Hurricane (EvangelicalLutheran Church in America): www.elca.org/disaster/download/05-09-02-katrinaworship.pdf

Church World Service Gulf Hurricanes Response:www.churchworldservice.org/news/katrina/index.html

The United Methodist Church General Board of Church andSociety resource: www.umc-bgcs/afterthestorm

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE DEFINITION—“A condition of environmental justice existswhen environmental risks and hazards and investments and benefits are equally distributedwithout direct or indirect discrimination at all jurisdictional levels and when access toenvironmental investments, benefits, and natural resources are equally distributed; and when access to information, participation in decision making, and access to justice inenvironment-related matters are enjoyed by all.” Source: Participants of Central and Eastern European Workshop on Environmental Justice

(Budapest, December 2003)

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life,bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month;and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of thenations. Revelation 22:1-2 (New Revised Standard Version)

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7

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OFCHURCHES ECO-JUSTICE WORKING GROUPAdopted at the Eco-Justice Working Group Oct. 3-4, 2005, meeting

The tragedy of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita compels us to bring our most cherished values and finest resources to the rebuilding. The desire to restore and rebuild mustbe guided by principles that will ensure that a just societywill emerge from the receding waters. The Gospel com-pels the church to advocate on behalf of the voiceless, to be a champion for the rights of the powerless and anardent guardian of God’s creation. The foundations ofthese renewed communities must be sound ecology,social equity, racial justice and pervasive compassiontowards the least, the voiceless and the marginalized.

The process of clean up is critical. It must be undertak-en using the strictest guidelines and should be designed to protect public health and the environment. The tools of science, not expediency, must guide this process. Thehealth and safety of all involved in the clean up must be a primary concern and all the pertinent safety regulationsmust be adhered to. The future habitability of the regionmust be assessed by sound scientific principles and regu-latory compliance not merely economic concerns. Therebuilding expenditures must not be offset at the cost ofenvironmental damage to other regions and not be used to justify weakening environmental safeguards.

The church must therefore be an active presence, notonly as a place of comfort and solace, but as a watchfulsteward of community health: social, economic andecological justice; and the rights of racial-ethnic minori-ties. Out of destruction and death can thus emerge a newsociety that better reflects the earthly concerns of theReign of God.

National Wildlife Refuges in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, SouthCarolina, Tennessee and Texas suffered extraordinary andcostly damages. Wetland and levee restoration on nationalwildlife refuges can be crucial for future storm protection on refuges and surrounding communities.

FOR GROUP STUDY AND REFLECTION Q: ‘Environmental racism’ describes the disproportionate toxic burden faced by communities of color. Where did yousee evidence of environmental racism in the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina? How do our own lives contribute to this injustice? What can people of faith do to ensure allcommunities are safe from environmental threats?

Q: Do you know of Superfund or toxic release sites in yourneighborhood or wider community? Is there a correlationbetween where those sites are located and the racial-ethnic or socio-economic background of nearby residents?

Q: If your community suffered flooding—would the watersbecome a “toxic soup”? How might you reduce the number of toxic chemicals and/or waste located in your community? (Source: The United Methodist Church General Board ofChurch and Society)

IDEAS FOR YOUTH GROUPS OR SUNDAY SCHOOLToxic Inventory and Community ScorecardsHave a youth group conduct a toxic audit of the churchbuilding and grounds by inventorying all items containingtoxic materials (e.g., cleaning products, pesticides). Forinformation on healthy and toxic-free buildings, visitwww.healthybuilding.net/target_materials.html. Learn about pollution in your own community by using theEnvironmental Scorecard (www.scorecard.org/env-releases/).

Story TimeRead one of the numerous stories in the Bible about justiceand caring for God’s world.• The Greatest Commandment: (Matthew 22:34-40 or Mark

12:28-31) Discuss what it means to love your neighbor asyourself? Who are our neighbors? How are we called tocare for our neighbors in the Gulf Region and in otherimpacted communities?

• The Sheep and the Goats: (Matthew 25:31-45) Discuss whoare “the least of these.” How can we care for “the least ofthese” in the Gulf Coast Region and in other impacted com-munities?

Collage or MuralMake an individual collage or class mural that illustrates waysthat we can care for God’s people and God’s creation.

Note: Adults may also enjoy the youth activities listed here.

For more information about the Eco-Justice programs of the National Council of Churches or its member communions,visit www.nccecojustice.org or call 202-544-2350.

printed on recycled paper using soy inks with 100% wind power

Eco-Justice ProgramsNational Council of Churches110 Maryland Ave., NE, Suite 108Washington, DC 20002

Each year, the National Council of Churches Eco-JusticeProgram with the Eco-Justice Working Group produces EarthDay Sunday resource materials for congregations wishing tocelebrate God’s creation and explore issues pertaining to caringfor God’s creation. The 2006 Earth Day Sunday resourcematerials focus on building just communities, using the lens ofHurricanes Katrina and Rita. While the 2006 resource describesthe devastation of the Gulf Coast Region in particular, the issuesraised of environmental justice and racism, toxics, and consumerlifestyles poses a challenge to people of faith around the world.

The Gulf Coast Hurricanes are not catastrophes isolated to asubsection of God’s world. They are tragedies that have touchedand will continue to touch all of God’s creation, including God’speople. In particular, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita revealed howour consumer lifestyles and the resulting toxic byproducts havecompounded the devastation in the Gulf Coast Region. TheHurricanes reminded us that toxic waste sites and industrialplants are most often situated in and around marginalizedcommunities—poor neighborhoods and communities of color.The Gulf Coast hurricanes demonstrated how people in povertyare hardest hit by environmental disasters.

Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of theleast of these, you did not do it to me.Matthew 25:45

(New Revised Standard Version)

Eco-Justice Principles for Rebuilding the Gulf Region• In clean up and rebuilding, protect public health and

God’s creation.• Restore environmental protections and address patterns

of environmental racism.• Encourage new environmentally sustainable models of

economic growth and community in the Gulf Region.• Expediency in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and

Rita cannot be an excuse to weaken or waive environ-mental protections in the Gulf Coast Region.

• Environmental cleanups must be conducted fairly andequitably in every affected community.

• Government agencies need to comply with ExecutiveOrder 12898 on Environmental Justice.

• Jurisdictions in the Gulf Coast Region must focus oncreating sustainable and environmentally friendly lowand moderate income housing.

(Source: adapted from the National Black EnvironmentalJustice Network Resolution on Environmental andEconomic Justice in the Gulf Coast Region.)

THROUGH THE EYE OF A HURRICANE: REBUILDING JUST COMMUNITIES 2006 EARTH DAY SUNDAY RESOURCE