Falls Creek Relief Efforts Called Off

Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma ^ | September 13, 2005 | Ray Sanders

[2Jedismom]

For Immediate Release: September 12, 2005
Ray Sanders, BGCO Spokesman

Falls Creek Relief Efforts Called Off

Oklahoma City, OK -- September 12, 2005 - After having anticipated the arrival of survivors from Hurricane Katrina for nearly two weeks, Governor Henry announced Tuesday that at the request of FEMA, relief efforts at Falls Creek are no longer needed.

In a letter to the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, the Governor offered heartfelt thanks to the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma and its member churches for their recent mobilization to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina. "In the midst of horrific devastation along the Gulf Coast, the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma immediately sprang into action, launching a relief effort in the storm-battered region and offering the use of Falls Creek for displaced hurricane victims," the Governor's letter indicated. "I am very proud of -- and thankful for Oklahoma's Baptist Community and the urgency with which it acted to help and minister to hurricane victims who had lost everything in this nearly incomprehensible tragedy. While the conflicting signals from FEMA over the past two weeks regarding the use of Falls Creek were surely frustrating, your commitment and compassion did not waver."

"We are honored to have had this opportunity to serve the hurricane survivors, our state and our Savior," said Anthony L. Jordan, executive director-treasurer of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. "I am very grateful for the more than 1,800 volunteers who registered to help with the Falls Creek relief efforts. Over 5,000 Buckets of Blessing care packages were prepared by hand and over 3,278 beds were made in less than 24 hours. We are in this for the long haul. In fact, our Baptist hurricane relief efforts continue even today as our mobile feeding units and chainsaw crew relocate near the heart of the New Orleans area. They are prepared to feed over 20,000 and clear fallen debris from homes on a daily basis. The Buckets of Blessing will soon be delivered to survivors at Camp Gruber here in Oklahoma and also in the New Orleans area to victims as they are served and greeted by our feeding team."

There are over 600 trained Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers in Oklahoma. Those interested in contributing financially to disaster relief efforts of the Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief team can make checks payable to Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief. Relief funds may be mailed to Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief at 3800 N. May Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73112 or by visiting www.bgco.org.

One hundred percent of funds received for disaster relief are used for disaster relief because Oklahoma Southern Baptist Churches and their members cover the administrative expenses with their contributions made through the Cooperative Program.

[2Jedismom]

Ping.

[Rodney King]

Thank God.

[yarddog]

I have been to Falls Creek many years ago and it is a really pretty place.

Any refugees sent there would have been lucky.

[metalcor]

He works in mysterious ways. Whew! The majority or evacuees may have done great there. But the government being what it is and shackled in the ways that it is could not have screened them, and the first 'entitled' thug who wandered into the country surrounding the camp would have brought about a potential PR disaster. Urban areas are more accustomed to some of the things they could bring with them. Ideally, they could have brought some folks all from a same rural community where people of similar faith and experience could interact, and I'm not talking about race, but that wasn't going to happen.

[Osage Orange]

What I want to know is this....

Who wrote that letter for dufus?

[2Jedismom]

Heh heh...

I don't know what to think...I know there was some concern about the remoteness of the place.

I was one of the volunteers that drove down there only to be turned aside at the gate. Apparently FEMA only wanted 500 volunteers. Over 2000 showed up!

[kjam22]

I would guess if the truth were known.... that there was some resistance somewhere in the federal food chain to the government housing refugees in a baptist campground where they would surely be "preached to".