Office of Disaster Preparedness and Response Readies for Hurricane Season
LAKE CHARLES – The hard lessons learned following Hurricane Rita in 2005 helped the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Response better handle the aftermath of Gustav and Ike in 2008 as well as prepare for this 2010 hurricane season, which began last Tuesday.
Mrs. Sandy Gay, who has led the office since its establishment in the aftermath of Rita, heads the office, takes a very common sense approach to getting ready for hurricanes or disasters of any sort. “I think it is just responsible day-to-day living,” Gay said. “We all just need to look around us and take care of our business. Preparedness is not seasonal, you must be ready for a disaster at any time and there are many more than one kind of disaster that we might face.
“The lists of how to prepare are out there everywhere,” she continued. “You can look at the special insert in the American Press, go to the Red Cross, NOAA, FEMA and many others. We just have to look for the information.”
Following Hurricane Rita, for which no one was really prepared, according to Gay, the Diocese worked to institute policies for its parish leadership in addressing any emergency.
“It is really why the office was established in the first place,” Gay said. “We want to continue our focus on helping people get ready and then helping people respond or rebuild or restart their lives following the passage of any disaster.
“After all, there is more than one kind of disaster,” she continued. “It is important for us to be attentive and be ready to provide whatever assistance we can to other people.”
Some of the websites that can be accessed that will also provide those interested in making further preparations for the potential storms ahead include - www.nhc.noaa.gov/; www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/hurricanes.html; www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/; www.fema.gov/hazard/index.shtm; www.weather.gov/om/brochures/hurr.pdf; www.redcross.org/.
Earlier this week, on the opening day of hurricane season, the Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles, celebrated a Votive Mass to Avert Storms in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Cameron. This church parish was founded in 1958, a year following the deadly passage of Hurricane Audrey.
Following last Tuesday’s liturgy, Bishop Provost led a procession to the beautiful Shrine of Our Lady Star of the Sea located in front of the church. This current Shrine, dedicated to the Mother of God, Protectress from Storms, was built at the initiation of the late Bishop Maurice Schexnayder, Bishop of Lafayette. The seven-foot Carrara marble statue was commissioned by the Bishop during his time in Rome. The shrine was dedicated on Sept. 11, 1963.
Bishop Schexnayder also penned a memorable prayer “Prayer for Safety During Hurricane Season”, asking the Mother of God to protect her children from the harm caused by storms. This prayer continues to be used and Bishop Provost has asked that during hurricane season that everyone in the Diocese of Lake Charles pray for the Virgin Mother’s protection.
(Editor’s note: The prayer is reproduced elsewhere on this page and is available on the Internet at http://live.lcdiocese.org/images/stories/pdfs/hurricane_prayer2010.pdf
Bishop Provost has also asked that the priests of the Diocese include in their Prayers of Petition at Mass the following petition: “For all of us during this hurricane season, that we may be protected from all storms, loss of life and destructive weather, we pray to the Lord.”
