WASHINGTON – Christians around the USA are joining in prayer with religious leaders along the Gulf Coast as residents remember the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and brace for the beginning of the 2006 hurricane season.

"As this new hurricane season begins, we are reminded that many of our sisters and brothers all along the Gulf Coast are still living in trailers or displaced from their homes from last August's devastation of Rita and Katrina," said the Rev. Bob Edgar, the NCC's chief executive. "As Christians, we believe in the power of prayer in our lives, so we are asking all people of faith to remember those whose lives were so uprooted by the storms that they may be given the time to rebuild their lives."

Hurricane season officially begins today and lasts through November along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Many cities from north to south have been preparing with evacuation plans as the National Hurricane Centre forecast as many as 16 named storms this year.