NATCHEZ &045; When Richard Saxer and his wife Orissa Arend packed up their car to escape Hurricane Katrine, they left behind their house. They didn’t think they would also lose their sense of community.

But waiting in Natchez to return to their Uptown New Orleans house, the couple discovered that they were missing something &045; a network of people with which they could share their thoughts and emotions.

&uot;I know how important community is, especially in times of crisis,&uot; Saxer said.

Looking for a place to connect with others in their position, Saxer and his wife approached the Rev. Zabron Davis at Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchez.

At the same time, many of the parishioners of Trinity Church were discussing what they could do to help evacuees that now look at Natchez as their new home.

It seemed those two desires &045; that of Saxer and other evacuees to reconnect with each other and that of Trinity Church’s desire to reach out &045; were a natural fit.

&uot;We wanted to provide a place to network that, in their words, was a place to cry with each other, to worry with and to hope with each other,&uot; Davis said.

In response to those desires, Trinity Church is setting up a directory of information for hurricane evacuees.

Any evacuee looking to network with others can come to the church on South Commerce Street in Natchez and fill out an information form.

The information form will, if they choose, be shared with others who also sign up.

&uot;Our hope is to create a database to give people a chance to network,&uot; Davis said.

Whether it is inquiring about schools and other activities for children, looking for job opportunities, or just looking for a friendly person to talk to, the database will be offered as a central place for evacuees.

In addition, a time will be set aside every Wednesday at 4 p.m. for those who want to come to the church to meet each other.

&uot;We need to pray,&uot; Saxer said, remarking about the church as a refuge for evacuees. &uot;But we need much more. That’s part of the idea of this database.&uot;

Anyone interested can either come by the church office for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or they can call at 601-445-8432.

The information sheet is not a substitute for registering with FEMA or the American Red Cross.