President Packer told the survivors, most of whom are from New Orleans, that he would offer the closing prayer in the form of a blessing upon them, and that the "power of blessings are the very best thing in the church. The blessings we invoke are not incidental . . . but contain all of the power we have as apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ."

President Packer petitioned a blessing in behalf of all those involved in the natural disaster, for "fathers and mothers and the children," and for "those families where there is not a father present," and for "the mothers and their little children who have little or nothing now," and those "reaching out to help."

He asked that family members can "find one another in all this difficulty of people moving back and forth."

He noted that from day to day, some will push the tragedy into the background. "Bless us that we will not forget, and that others will not forget," he said.

Elder Ballard said the visit was short because of the situation, but he praised the American Red Cross for its work. The group came, he said, "to try to understand the magnitude of this tremendous challenge you have here in the southern part of the United States. We have seen things that are unbelievable, the devastation that has occurred. We are grateful for our connection with the Red Cross and the great work they are doing. We came for just a few moments to say we love you and extend our love and blessings to you."

Bishop Burton said, "You are not alone in your travails. We are a church that likes to participate in helping others. Each day, at church headquarters, the phones ring off the hook every day with people asking, 'What can we do?' "

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E-mail: jhart@desnews.com