Copyright 2006 The Times-Picayune Publishing Company
By ROSALYN D. EASON
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
Rose Kormann took a few minutes from her short holiday break to talk with me about her latest assignment.
She called from her home in Texas, where she was spending time with the family she has not seen often since Hurricane Katrina. While happy to be home, Kormann also was excited about her continuing work in Louisiana with the victims of the hurricane as the Lutheran disaster response coordinator for Louisiana.
Lutheran Disaster Response is a nationwide social services agency sponsored by the Lutheran church. It provides assistance to victims of disasters such as floods, hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Kormann works with the local branch, Lutheran Social Services of the South, and is based at Christ the King Church in Kenner.
She has more than eight years of experience with Lutheran Disaster Response, including time spent in North Dakota after the Red River flooding disaster in 1997. She also is a member of the national spiritual and emotional committee of the Lutheran church.
From her base of operations in Kenner, Kormann coordinates the volunteers and other resources that her organization provides to local Katrina victims. On any given day, there could be as many as 300 volunteers from around the United States working in the New Orleans area.
Currently, the bulk of the workload is the abatement of damage and cleaning of flooded homes. As the need for these services diminishes, volunteer crews will shift their focus to rebuilding homes.
Local Lutheran churches and the Federal Emergency Management Agency refer needy homeowners to Lutheran Disaster Response.
“We have our largest number of volunteers between Christmas and New Year’s Day and in March, when students are on spring break,” Kormann said. “Also, we rely heavily on snow birds this time of year.”
Kormann added that there is a need for local volunteers.
Lutheran Disaster Response not only offers physical assistance but spiritual and emotional counseling to those in need. Kormann coordinates and facilitates group and individual counseling programs. Even respite retreats are offered for area clergy who have been called upon to counsel members of their congregation.
Plans are being made for Camp Noah to assist children who have been victims of the disaster. This weeklong day camp for children who have completed kindergarten through sixth grade will be offered in the summer. It is designed to help campers work through the trauma they may have experienced as a result of the hurricane. There will be eight session. Referrals will be taken from local Lutheran churches. Lutheran and non-Lutheran campers will be accepted.
Financial assistance is yet another component of services offered by Lutheran Disaster Response. Kormann said that more than $500,000 in grants already has been awarded to Katrina victims. The money comes from donations to the organization’s Hurricane Katrina fund.
Kormann is busy with her many responsibilities.
“I enjoy being the conduit between people who want to help and those who need help,” she said.
She recalls a thank-you note from a lady who recently received help.
“The lady told me that the financial assistance was good but knowing that other people cared was wonderful,” Kormann said. “It is notes like that that sum up why I am involved.”
For details on programs available through Lutheran Disaster Response or to make a donation, call Kormann at (337) 281-5197. Volunteers may call (225) 205-1639.