#HARVEYUPDATE – September 11
A Warehouse has finally been secured in San Antonio, Texas by the collaborative efforts of FEMA, the State, and ACS. We will begin utilizing many of the volunteers who have been on standby to serve in the Warehouse. On Friday evening, students from Southwestern University spent hours at the ACS Depot in Keene preparing hundreds of Flood Buckets which were donated by a volunteer who had contacted us to ask if we could use them for the people in Texas. More volunteers arrived early Sabbath morning wanting to deliver needed items to communities in Houston. They included Brain Browder, Alan and Keith Raber who traveled over ten hours to serve the needs of the Harvey survivors. Few hours later, they were able to deliver flood buckets to three churches that are operating Distribution sites in the greater Houston area.
We are continuing to collect names of volunteers that wish to help from all over the Division. Many of our ACS Directors are ascertaining how our resources might be coordinated to help with the Recovery Efforts in the most effective way. The Columbia Union ACS was involved in the preparation of 10,000 comfort kits by a couple of our schools who gathered last Friday. A trailer was arranged to pick them up and transport them from Pennsylvania to one of our Distribution sites in Houston over the weekend. “Story after story could be told, people giving of themselves to assist communities that are experiencing real challenges in their lives. As the effort moves forward, we’ll continue to provide updates of the work taking place,” said W. Derrick Lea, NAD ACS Disaster Response Director.
Report – September 5 – Southwestern Union Responds to Hurricane Harvey
In this report, Adventist Community Services from the Beaumont Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Texas is distributing clothing and other items in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. ACS volunteers arrived with supplies and then partnered with other community members to service a line of cars 3 MILES LONG!
CREDIT: Tim Wolfer/NAD
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Update – August 30
Adventist Community Services (ACS) has been asked by a number of emergency managers to deliver some of the products we have been preparing and stocking in semi-trailers from the ACS Depot in Keene, Texas. On the morning of August 28, a truck left for San Antonio to deliver clothes, hygiene kits and other needed items. Many of the residents housed in the San Antonio shelter were evacuated from Houston, where dirty flood waters forced them out of their homes. Shelter management requires those residing there to shower and have a clean change of clothing before they can enter the shelter. The ACS trailer arrived later in the afternoon to begin distribution of clothes in all sizes for the thousands that had need.
The work also continues in the city of Houston. ACS has been asked to manage a warehouse for the city.
Emotional and spiritual care providers will be ready in the next couple days to deploy to the flood-ravaged area for two weeks. These individuals will be assigned to work out of shelters that have been set up around the state.
ACS is forming a resource and needs listing that will be used over the next few days to determine how to support the local efforts. ACS recognizes that the efforts to support individuals, families and children will be long term, and we’re preparing for the long run.
Update – August 29
We greatly appreciate your thoughts and prayers for the survivors of Hurricane Harvey. Currently, we are accepting monetary donations that will go towards the preparation and distribution of flood cleaning buckets. We are so grateful to those who are willing to help out; however, volunteers are not needed at this time due to the limited access to affected areas and inadequate safety precautions. Once the rains have subsided, we will have more information on how to provide assistance in the recovery phase. Please visit this page for updates.