Hurricane Katrina is Drained While Residents are Uncertain on What is Next

Sep 07, 2005 05:46 PM EDT

Victims of Hurricane Katrina are facing the outcome of the storm by being transported from airport to city and forced to evacuate the cities after Hurricane Katrina blew in through the U.S. Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Mississippi.

The effects of the storm have destroyed cities leaving many people displaced and concerned about the future of the economy, while others are thankful and have applauded social workers at churches who have come to aid them in clothing and even a shower said one person in Chicago at the House of Hope church.

Thousands have already left the ravaged cities, but some thousands are still staying put and have refused to leave.

"We have thousands of people who want to voluntarily evacuate at this time," Police Chief Eddie Compass said. "Then we'll concentrate our forces on mandatory evacuation," he told the Associated Press.

The Mayor of New Orleans C. Ray Nagin ordered officers and the U.S. military to enforce an evacuation of the remaining 10,000 residents late Tues warning that the fetid water had the potential to spread disease and that natural gas was leaking throughout the city.

The order was issued for residents who have been affected by the storm and not for the relief workers who have pledged to support the relief effort. The U.S. military is waiting to assess if the evacuation is necessary and have said that they will wait for further orders from their commanding officer.

Nearby churches, cities, and organizations such as the Salvation Army to World Vision are continuing to provide their help in the effort to aid the victims with shelter and food.

The destruction of the city has left many uncertain about the future since many businesses were destroyed and the power of the city has left over 850,000 electricity customers without service nine days after the Hurricane struck according to area utilities and the U.S. Department of Energy.

President George W. Bush has asked Congress to approve a bid for over 50 billion to help in the recovery effort. Congressional officials are expected to approve the bid on Thursday, which will be the second installment to keep the money flowing to the ravaged cities.

Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary R. Clinton said on NBC Tuesday that the victims "want answers and they want to know what went wrong."

In the U.S., many denominations are still praying for the victims, which includes different church bodies from the Southern Baptists to the Chinese Christian Churches and Fellowships from the west to the east coast.