Bishop T.D. Jakes, pastor of Potter’s House in Dallas, said $20 million in grants will soon become available to help black pastors in the Gulf Coast rebuild churches destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

"Twenty million dollars sounds like a lot of money until you see the needs," Jakes said this week during a media conference call which included BlackAmericaWeb.com.

Jakes and Rev. William Gray, former head of the United Negro College Fund, are leading an ambitious campaign to rebuild black churches in New Orleans and throughout the region that were damaged or destroyed by Katrina.

The two ministers are working with former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, who announced several major grants from the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, including $30 million in grants to Gulf region higher education institutions devastated by Hurricane Katrina; a $20 million grant for a ministerial partnership with local and regional faith-based organizations and an initial disbursement of $40 million divided amongst the three states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama for their recovery and relief funds.

Last month, Jakes expressed frustration with what he called a slow process and said black pastors had not seen any of the grant money earmarked for rebuilding.

But this week, Jakes sounded more optimistic and said applications for the grants will be available in a few days. Approval of the grants will determine how many pastors are eligible to receive funding and how much money ministers will receive.

After Hurricane Katrina struck, President George W. Bush enlisted a coalition of clergy from across the nation to distribute part of the $110 million in private funds that his father and Clinton raised to help victims of the storm.

Jakes said 1,500 pastors met in New Orleans two months ago to discuss their financial needs, with some wondering when they would see any of the money from the Bush-Clinton fund.

Bishop Cornal Henning, who supervises the 284 AME churches in Louisiana and Mississippi, said 30 AME churches in the Gulf Coast region were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Henning, who relocated to Mississippi temporarily because his home in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward was destroyed, told BlackAmericaWeb.com Tuesday that he, along with others, have been "impatient" with slow funding for black pastors, but said it’s more important "to make sure we meet the needs where the needs exist."

"We need to put money in the hands of people who want to come back," he said.

Many black churches nationwide have provided aid to thousands of Hurricane Katrina’s victims in response to the overwhelming number of black evacuees who are seeking their help.

Jakes said the black church is expanding "to meet the needs of the community." He also said the black church can assist black pastors in New Orleans by "adopting" a church or a family in crisis.

According to Jakes, he is working to establish economic development opportunities to help start new businesses and assist business owners who are trying to get their longtime businesses up and running again.

"Our hope is that we can help pastors, and they, in turn, will help the community," Jakes said. "The church can be an effective voice for the community."

Jakes said the overall New Orleans rebuilding process is "extremely slow," but said he believes the process is beginning to move forward.

Meanwhile, a new study raises another possible threat to rebuilding efforts in Louisiana: Active geologic faults are causing levees, flood walls, bridges and homes to sink, according to the Associated Press.

The study, published in the April edition of the Geological Society of America's Geology journal, charts a major fault it says runs through eastern New Orleans.

It also argues that the fault's downward movement "set the stage for the devastation of Hurricane Katrina by lowering elevations of the land and surrounding levee defenses."

Last month, former President Clinton visited Little Rock, Arkansas, Gulfport, Mississippi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana to raise awareness of the Earned Income Tax Credit and meet with survivors of Hurricane Katrina about the ongoing recovery efforts.

"With so many people displaced and out of work because of Katrina, it is important that those affected have access to all the services they need to get back on their feet financially, the EITC is one of those services," Clinton said at the Promise Land Church in Little Rock.

As the Gulf Coast struggles to return to normal, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson announced Tuesday that he is approving a $3.4 billion plan to help thousands of Mississippi homeowners to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

Two months ago, Jackson allocated $5 billion in Community Development Block Grant funding to help the State of Mississippi in its long-term recovery efforts. Today, qualified homeowners in Mississippi can receive up to $150,000 to help them recover from Hurricane Katrina.

"It's critical that we move quickly to help Mississippi homeowners to recover and rebuild not only their homes, but their lives," Jackson said in a statement.

"This funding is part of President Bush's commitment to help the Gulf Coast recover and for HUD's part," he said. "We stand ready to help in any way we can as we move along that long road toward making Mississippi whole again."