As Hurricane Gustav lashed down heavy rain and wind on Louisiana on Monday, US faith-based development agencies say they are on standby to reach the needy with emergency supplies.
On Sunday, more than one million Americans streamed out of New Orleans, still recovering from the devastation wrought by Katrina when it killed 1,800 people and flooded 80 per cent of the city three years ago.
The city's mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city, warning that Gustav was the "mother of all storms" and "not the one to play with".
Christian relief and development agency World Vision has assembled emergency supplies at Picayune, Mississippi, and stationed several truckloads of goods in Dallas, Los Angeles and other cities.
"We're making the most of this early warning time to prepare," said John Pettit, director of World Vision's domestic disaster response, last Friday.
"Our staff in Mississippi and Texas have been contacting dozens of churches and community groups that we've partnered with since Katrina to let them know we want to stand by them for Gustav and help them serve the most vulnerable in their communities."
Currently a category three storm, Hurricane Gustav has already killed 80 people in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica.
"We're hoping and praying that Gustav spares the Gulf Coast, but we know from experience that we have to be ready for a worst-case scenario," said Pettit, whose team has been actively coordinating with regional authorities and other members of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) in preparation for the storm's landfall.
