Adventist Community Service Disaster Response (ACS) - Gustav Operations

ACS DR Responds: Hurricane Gustav #2 9/2/08 Press Release

Hurricane Gustav made landfall and proceeded to wreck destruction across the southern US coastline today. Families had to leave their homes and seek safety. Sometimes that was with family or friends, or maybe the place that they could go was a shelter that was provided by caring strangers.

Adventist Community Services volunteers were busy on this day of the landfall of Hurricane Gustav. They have been the hands and feet of Jesus in their communities, making life easier for those displaced by the storm. In Memphis, TN, Lillie Buckingham, South Central Conference ACSDR Coordinator is working together with ACS volunteers to set up a warehouse and distribution center in the same facility that they used after Hurricane Katrina. They are asking the community to donate personal care items, toilet tissue, diapers and other baby items, pens, pencils coloring books, crayons and poster board. The facility is located at 994 South Bellevue, Memphis, TN 38106-1826.

ACS Volunteers from the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference, led by Marvin Lowman have been assisting their communities as they have been sheltering 6,000 evacuees. A group of evacuees traveled by air to middle Tennessee, but their luggage did not arrive with them. ACS is responding and will have clothing available for them by noon tomorrow.

AIM, Adventist Information Ministry, on the campus of Andrews University, is answering calls on the ACSDR 800 number, 800-381-7171. A group of volunteers in the Berrien Springs, MI area are working with AIM, taking information that the telephone operators receive from callers and then returning those calls, working with the callers about their inquiry regarding volunteering or making a donation. This will give a personal touch to those who call in to help. The Southern Union has opened a call center that will serve to gather information in their area. They will be working closely with AIM and the volunteer team.

Barbara Barnes, South Central Conference ACSDR Coordinator, and local volunteers are working to make the evacuees comfortable in Alabama. They need personal care items as well as cots and bedding as they are working with 11,328 evacuees. There is a need for Crisis Counseling and ACS has a program under the direction of Elder Steve Willsey. This will be a great help to both the volunteers and the evacuees.

The Gulf States Conference ACS DR, under the direction of Ray Elsberry, also has been working with those who have left their homes to take their families to safety. The Rainesville, AL Seventh-day Adventist Church is housing 45 persons and a group of 50 are staying at the Foley, AL Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church. Gulf States is also offering Crisis Care training at Alamisco, their youth camp next week conducted by Steve Willsey.

The Adventist Community Services Disaster Response Depot in Keene, TX responded to a request from the American Red Cross. Doug and Lavonne Adams, ACSDR Area Coordinators were asked by the Tarrant County Red Cross if they knew where they could get some personal care kits as they had used all they had available. The Adams contacted Sherry Watts, the manager of the Disaster Response Depot, and 1600 personal care kits were delivered to the American Red Cross to be used in the shelters in the Ft. Worth area.

Fred Crowell, associate pastor of the Ft. Worth First Seventh-day Adventist Church, reports that the Burleson Seventh-day Adventist Church is being used as a shelter for evacuees.

The team from the Michigan Conference under the direction of Royse Snyman, Michigan and Lake Union ACSDR Coordinator will be leaving Michigan in the morning and will be traveling to the Southern Louisiana Convention Center in Hammond, LA. They will be bringing a Communication Trailer as well as a Chain Saw utility trailer. A base of operations will be set up at that facility to reach out and assist those in Southern Louisiana.

San Antonio Area Coordinators Frank and Mary Jeys have been working with the San Antonio VOAD as they worked to receive the evacuees into their area. They had a surprise as President George Bush visited their site today. They were excited to have their photo taken with the President.

A huge thank you to all the ACSDR volunteers that are faithfully doing their work in help those in their community. A big thank you to those of you that have seen the need and are willing to make a donation to the great work of ACSDR.

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PRESS RELEASE (see source for full report)
September 1, 2008

AIM, Adventist Information Ministry, has been activated to accept calls regarding the disaster response. They will be able to accept donations for the relief effort. Their number is 1-800-381-7171.

Gulf States Conference has a mobile kitchen and is standing ready to help.
ACS Volunteers are assisting at public shelters in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama.

ACS volunteers in Jackson, MS are taking supplies to the local shelter to assist with the 3,000 evacuees that have arrived so far. The North Alabama Federations are working with Red Cross in helping with the 5,400 evacuees. ACSDR volunteers are partnering with the City of Memphis to assist with the 3,000 evacuees coming to that city.

Hundreds of ACS Volunteers will be working in their communities to make a difference. You can help by making a donation today.

Source:
http://www.communityservices.org/SiteResources/Data/Templates/templatec.asp?docid=802&DocName=Hurricane%20Gustav