Here’s a video report on the flood relief volunteers who are helping out the Berean and First Spanish SDA churches in Baton Rouge, in serving the community’s needs. Video produced by Stephen Ruf, Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, Southern Adventist University.
Early Monday (August 29) morning, the NAD ACS Team met up with the ACS workers from Tennessee at the Distribution Center, and spoke with them about about how their home churches and some counties had supported them in their plans to help with the Relief work in Louisiana. The discussion also involved reviewing a listing of the homes affected that had been prepared by the local ACS leadership, and outlining them in a manner that would ensure the most effective use of the resources. The discussion with the team from Tennessee was followed by another discussion with the American Red Cross Team led by Director Carlos.
The different groups that were actively involved in the Recovery Efforts touched on some of the shortfalls that they had experienced in the last few days. For example, the Red Cross highlighted some of their concerns with the donated “stuff’ that had been given to them. In the afternoon, conference calls were held for our Union Directors and some of our other Conference Directors/Coordinators to discuss the continued work in Louisiana. “This interaction will create opportunities for collaborative support of our team on the ground and we’ll follow-up upon my return to the home office,” says W. Derrick Lea, NAD ACS Disaster Response Director.
Presently, the local Southwest Regional and Arkansas-Louisiana Conferences are scheduling volunteers to serve in both the Warehouse and the Wellness Center. As these plans are being formulated, the local community continues to keep an eye on the weather reports. In the last six months, Louisiana has been hit by a Tornado in February, a major flooding in the Spring when 40 of the 64 Parishes were affected to experiencing this latest flooding. Forecast reports are now calling for a possible Hurricane that is predicted to devastate the State again.
Please, let us keep the State of Louisiana in our thoughts and prayers, for their protection and safety as they encounter such weather-related tragedies.
On August 28 early morning (Sunday), ACS continued its Recovery Efforts by starting the day off at the Warehouse in Baton Rouge, by taking in supplies from around the region and distributing them appropriately. A letter from the State of Louisiana (see link below) was sent to all the public and non-governmental organizations, informing them about the ACS-operated Warehouse. “We believe the push from the State will lead to a continual increase in the amount of goods received at the facility run by our team for the community affected,” says W. Derrick Lea, NAD ACS Disaster Response Director.
In addition to the ACS members, they were also able to negotiate an agreement with the Federal Government to use VISTA workers at the Warehouse. This group is made up of young people from around the country who volunteer their services for as many as 12 months to public service. They were able to get hold of ten of these workers who have worked in partnership with our ACS staff and volunteers to help transform two empty buildings into functional Warehouses that will serve Louisiana for many months. On the same day, a 6-member team of ACS workers from Nashville, TN had arrived. They were directed to their sleeping quarters where they will reside for the next week. This group has partnered with the Southwest Regional Conference and agreed to use their skills, equipment and abilities to clean homes in the Baton Rouge area.
In addition to the work at the Warehouse, ACS continues its Shelter and Distribution Center operation on Osborne Avenue in Baton Rouge. ACS is providing meals, cots, and even entertainment for the children. Southwest Regional Conference is providing this service through the ACS Director Durandel Ford. Several individuals have signed up to offer their assistance for this cause. The commitment shown by such people whose homes had not been affected was humbling and truly showed the spirit that Christ asks of us.
Letter from State of Louisiana about the Warehouse
Below is an outline of the Louisiana flood recovery efforts in the past week (August 15 – 21):
The Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Wellness Center has become the distribution hub of donated goods for the flood survivors. It is located in Baton Rouge and is led by Lyn Hykeim. The Warehouse will be operated in three-month segments. The ACS mobile unit was out at the Berean SDA Church Wellness Center last week, which served around 108 families. The Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas Conference, under the leadership of Lavida Whitson, has provided comfort and personal hygiene kits along with blankets.
There are several other churches and groups who are lending their assistance and support for this cause. The Clio Place Baptist Church at New Orleans will be providing water and other needed items. The West bank United Seventh-day Adventist Church will again loan their church van for pickups and deliver items to the Wellness Center. The Spanish Church at Metairie will also be assisting with personal hygiene items and comfort kits under the direction of Katia Costa. A group from the South Central Conference, led by Pr. Williams Little, will be bringing in supplies, dump trucks, mobile units and at least 25 volunteers who will be housed at the Wellness Center/ school. They have tremendously helped us in the past to gut houses and clean them of debris, as well as with other tasks. They have expressed their desire and willingness to come out and help with the flood situation in Louisiana.
Items for donation include: baby clothes and supplies, disposable diapers for children and adults, bottled water, non- perishable food items, slightly used and new clothing, brand new underwear, shoes and socks, brand new flip-flops, cleaning supplies, bed linen/towels, school supplies, and etc.
Monetary donations are also accepted at www.mysouthwestregion.org.
Send a check to:
ArkLa Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Disaster Fund
PO Box 31000
Shreveport, LA 71130
A federal disaster declaration has been issued for over 20 parishes in the state of Louisiana. These historic floods that have even inundated areas that don’t normally flood, have been caused by river and bayou overflow and constant heavy downpours. Latest reports indicate that around 30,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed and at least 200,000 people displaced in shelters, hotels, or living with relatives. There are 11 people identified as dead, but several who are still missing. Currently, there is a curfew in affected areas (10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.) for fear and prevention of looting. The victims have been urged by the state government to apply for FEMA Disaster services.
The Greater New Orleans and other Adventist Churches have donated clothing to the New Orleans Sheriff Department, led by Sheriff Marlin Gusman, Sr. The Southwest Region Conference ACS DR Team, led by Coordinator Irene Williams, has picked up food items, pampers, personal hygiene supplies, bed linen, adult disposable diapers, etc. Many of these items are being brought to the Westbank Seventh-day Adventist Church located in New Orleans, which will then be brought to the Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church for distribution. Westbank Church has purchased a bus and is waiting for its approval to transport the donated items from Berean Church to Baton Rouge. There are plans underway of a Warehouse operation in Baton Rouge. Assistance would be needed in unloading, stocking, and distributing the donated goods. There are also inquiries as to living quarters for volunteers who may be coming in to assist.
Items for donation include: baby clothes and supplies, disposable diapers for children and adults, bottled water, non- perishable food items, slightly used and new clothing, brand new underwear, shoes and socks, brand new flip-flops, cleaning supplies, bed linen/towels, school supplies, and etc. Monetary donations are also accepted at www.mysouthwestregion.org.
Historic flooding has struck Louisiana once again this year, affecting many parts in the south region. According to the National Weather Service, these floods are worse than the ones that happened in March which affected over 40,000 families in LA. Over the weekend, many areas have received more than 20 inches of rain and are still inundated with increasing water levels. Since these areas are inaccessible because of road closures, ACS is attempting to get food and supplies to those affected via boats.
The Baton Rouge Spanish Church has reported that 90% of their members were forced out of their homes and evacuated. Some members from other churches in the area, as well as two Adventist pastors, too have had their homes heavily affected. The Baton Rouge Church, along with the Kenner and Metairie Churches in New Orleans, are currently housing shelter for the evacuees. Several churches in Arkansas and Northern Louisiana are operating collection centers to gather much needed emergency items which will be distributed to those affected.
The Arkansas-Louisiana ACS Disaster Team led by Lavida Whitson is actively involved in the Recovery efforts. They will be lending cots and mattresses to Kenner church. They are also in contact with the local food bank to make arrangements to feed the evacuees. ACS has also been asked to open a Multi-Agency Warehouse in Baton Rouge to accept donated goods for the survivors. The Texas Conference Disaster Response Team, led by Joe and Sherri Watts, along with Elder Durandale Ford, ACS Director of Southwest Regional Conference, are connecting with those on the ground and offering support to our efforts taking place in the State. NAD ACS has also worked with Irene Williams of the Southwest Regional Conference who is issuing Comfort kits, and connected their team with the National Association of Katrina Evacuees, a group we worked with during Katrina 10 years ago. In addition to ACS, Red Cross has also assisted in the Recovery efforts by housing over 10,000 evacuees on Sunday night.
Currently in Louisiana:
Monetary donations are being accepted now.
Send a check to:
ArkLa Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Disaster Fund
PO Box 31000
Shreveport, LA 71130
Online donations at this link: http://www.arklacsda.org/article/5/online-giving
Let us keep Louisiana in our thoughts and prayers!
ACS is planning to open a furniture warehouse in Richmond, TX (Brazoria County, southwest of Houston) in the ongoing response to the recent devastating floods that occurred in June. ACS has been operating a multi-agency warehouse in Angelton, TX, under the direction of Linda Walker, Southwest Region Conference, and also a distribution center at the Richwood Spanish Church. Several volunteers from our local churches have been actively involved. ACS has now been requested to set up a furniture warehouse to meet the ongoing needs of those affected by the floods. This entire response is a combined effort of Texas Conference and Southwest Region churches.
Our support and assistance for the West Virginia Disaster Relief efforts have been commended by the State Representative who spoke in a complementary fashion about the work of Adventist Community Services. Our current Disaster Response Team is scheduled to leave on July 22nd and another Conference which will be arriving next week, will take over as the Management Team on the ground.
The ACS Crisis Care Team has also started serving the community out of the Disaster Resource Center (DRC) in West Sulfur Springs, West Virginia. Unlike last week when our team worked in partnership with the Red Cross, the team members are currently working in concert with the Council of Churches operating in the State. The Crisis Care team will accompany Emergency Management as they speak with those affected by the Floods both in the DRC and in their neighborhoods. They have found having a person qualified to handle these type of situations is beneficial, and such type of requests will continue as the Disaster Response Community looks for ways to effectively communicate with the Public.
While the Recovery efforts post-flooding have just begun in West Virginia, the NAD ACS Disaster Response Team has been able to accomplish the following:
In addition to these services, the Disaster Response Team is in connection with the citizens of Rainelle that belong to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, who worked tirelessly to assist helping in the Recovery. There are also plans to discuss with Pathway to Health Lead Dr. Lela, in reference to securing a place within the Clinic that will be operational next week in another part of the state. She has expressed her desire to partner with some of our Crisis Care workers in delivering Spiritual Care to those that come for dental services in the Clinic.
Though the Recovery work will go on for many weeks, those of us from out of the area will only be rendering physical assistance for a limited time. The local community will ultimately take over these tasks in total in a relatively short period of time, and we will determine how we might continue to carry on these efforts. Both the South Central and Allegany East Conference will continue with their efforts, and the Potomac and Chesapeake Conferences have positioned themselves to aid these efforts in the near future.
On Wednesday, June 29, the warehouse at Belle in West Virginia started its operations early in the morning. Loads of items were delivered from within the region and country in a seamless manner. Around mid-day, the Management Team from Tennessee arrived on the scene and immediately got to work setting processes in place to ensure the warehouse was running effectively.
The Greater New York Conference ACS has also expressed their desire to help communities in West Virginia recover from the disaster. A small town, Rainelle, had been severely affected by the storms of last week and was receiving very little help. Our Disaster Response staff headed to Rainelle to assess the people’s needs. Upon arrival, they found household items, furniture, and etc. piled up along the sidewalks of the town. A free cafe was set up to feed the local community. They also came across homes and churches that had been covered in water. After discussing what they had witnessed that day, they came up with various strategies of how they might be of assistance to them in a tangible way.