[amc] Commentary on Hurricane Katrina from the Reformed Church of America
- From: Micheal McEvoy <chewy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Austin Mennonite Church <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2005 19:13:07 -0500 (CDT)
The full text is here:
http://www.rca.org/news/words/index.html
But as I listened, reflected, and prayed during the week, another question
emerged. Just how "natural" was this disaster? Consider this, for
instance. When Katrina left the Florida coast, it was classified as a
"tropical storm"--not even a hurricane. It picked up tremendous power as
it passed through the Gulf of Mexico, in part, experts think, because the
waters of the Gulf were two degrees warmer than normal. So by the time is
reached New Orleans, it was a Category 4 hurricane.
<snip>
So a part of Katrina's fury was not completely "natural."
And there's more. New Orleans was built between the Mississippi River and
the Gulf of Mexico, with much of the city below sea level. Its
vulnerability to flooding from hurricanes was partly protected by the
wetlands between the city and the Gulf. These act like a "speed bump,"
absorbing and lowering some of a hurricane's force. But they've been
disappearing, making way for shopping malls, condos, and roads, so
twenty-five square miles are lost each year--an area the size of Manhattan
Island. And the city has kept moving closer to the Gulf.
Moreover, the levees and dams constructed to protect the city and
"control" the Mississippi deprive the wetlands from the sediments and
nutrients that naturally would replenish its life. There's a lot
"unnatural" about this "act of God."
And then, consider the victims. Those who have suffered the most are the
poorest, and most of them are African American. Within New Orleans, 27% of
the residents lived below the poverty line, and many of those simply had
no cars, no money, and no way to leave. That also isn't "natural." The
poverty rate, and the gap between rich and poor, continues to increase in
this nation, and that is a national disgrace. More to our point, that's a
sin, condemned by literally hundreds of verses of Scripture. Those most
vulnerable to Katrina have been kept on society's margins by persistent
economic injustice and racism.
<snip>
But I do know this. When I see the devastating effects of Katrina, I don't
simply regard these as an inexplicable "act of God." I also focus on the
sins of humanity. We've disobeyed God's clear biblical instructions to
preserve the integrity of God's good creation, and to overcome the scourge
of poverty. In the aftermath of Katrina, we desperately need not only
compassion, but also repentance.
Shalom,
Micheal
--
Micheal McEvoy St Brigid's Gate Farm
chewy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Mahomet, Texas
"And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice,
and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
-- Micah 6:8
-------
Austin Mennonite Church, (512) 926-3121 www.mennochurch.org
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