The Experience of Faith-Based Disaster Response

After hurricanes Katrina and Rita, faith-based organizations were among the most trusted and efficient responding in New Orleans. Purposes of this study are: 1) to understand the experience of faith-based disaster response for those organizing and executing such a massive, grassroots effort, those delivering direct service, and survivors who seek and receive assistance; 2) to understand the impact of the disaster event and levels of hope in the lives of those who provide and receive assistance. A mixed methods research design included ethnographic field experience, phenomenology interviews, and administration of the Herth Hope Index, the Hope Visual Analogue Scale and the Impact of Event Scale – Revised. Study participants included faith-based disaster response staff, volunteers and New Orleans residents. Research findings were triangulated. The contextual ground was Divine Agency with figural themes of Decision Point, Social Suffering, Stranger-to-Stranger Interactions, Communitas, Transformation, and Reflection. Herth Hope Index scores among all groups were high. Impact of Event Scale–Revised scores show most participants experienced significant emotional impact.