Posted on 09/16/2008 6:56:46 PM PDT by comps4spice
HOUSTON (BP)--About 1,500 Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers are setting up units in Texas and were expected to be operational by the end of the day Tuesday to serve victims of Hurricane Ike. The primary focus of the efforts currently is food preparation, with 39 kitchen units on site in the state.
The American Red Cross has asked Southern Baptists to be ready to prepare up to 375,000 hot meals a day, while the Salvation Army has requested 125,000 meals a day, bringing the total to 500,000.
In addition to the 39 feeding units, more than 40 other types of Southern Baptist disaster relief units are arriving in the devastated areas as well. These include shower, laundry, communications and chainsaw units.
"Right now with so many people without power, priority is preparing hot meals for the victims," said Mickey Caison, operations director at the North American Mission Board's disaster operations center in Alpharetta, Ga. "As the days and weeks unfold and the power returns, we will shift to a focus on recovery." Those efforts will include tree removal, tarping damaged roofs and removing mud and other debris from flooded homes.
Communities pounded by Hurricane Ike last weekend continue to experience a major infrastructure crisis of water, sewage, electricity and fuel supplies. Even gas stations that have fuel are unable to sell it without power. Residents, unable to heat or cool food, are limited to canned items and what they obtain from charitable groups.
"These kinds of issues are the reason we have trained our units to go into an area and be self-sustaining," Caison said. "We have our own fuel. We bring in large tanks of water and have the ability to purify water. We bring generators."
Caison said many of the kitchen units will serve members of the community as individuals drive up in their cars to get meals. Other meals will be distributed by the American Red Cross as they transport them to serving sites or take them into individual neighborhoods.
Five Southern Baptist units remain stationed at evacuation shelters throughout Texas. Caison said the number of evacuees has remained steady as some return to their homes but others show up after running out of money for hotels. Plans to require additional evacuations from Galveston may soon add to the numbers at evacuation centers.
"In the midst of all of this we have the continued ministry of our chaplains," Caison said. "We need to continue to pray that they will have opportunity to meet spiritual needs while our volunteers minister to physical needs."
Baptist relief efforts continue in Louisiana as well, with 81 units still serving there. Caison said feeding operations are scaling back in that state, but chainsaw and flood recovery activities remain a high priority.
pingalingaling...
This is really good work, requiring not only hands-on involvement now but plenty of planning beforehand. They deserve our prayers.
Do the Hollywood idiots ever do this type of charity or relief work? Not wanting to say that they don’t, just that it seems that churches are always among the first to show up in times of disaster. And they don’t seek publicity by doing it, they just do it because it’s the right thing to do.
The Hollywood idiots like to lecture us about what is wrong with the world, what is wrong with politics, what it wrong with Bush, etc. But they don’t seem to go out into the world and do anything productive to help people or make the world a better place.
Wait a minute! Only liberals help their fellow man, because they told me so.
We went through Ike. Thankfully we are staing well away from Houston. I am not a Baptist, but know first hand that they really do step up and help when it comes to meals. I have never seen the quantity or quality of food. I have no doubt that they will do what they have said and may God bless them and all of the people that they help.
As a side note, we do not have either water or power in our sub-division. I do want to thank everyone; Center Point, Fema, The National Gard, the Police, and the 1000’s of volunteers from all over the country who have stepped up to the plate. Real Texans do not complain.
This group does alot of good work and they don’t bask in the limelight like some other groups. Doctors Without Boarders are also wonderful. May God Bless them all.
Great Post......
My contributions for Katrina went to the Alabama Baptist organization that was providing relief rather than the bureaucratic Red Cross, etc. The Baptists did a great job with 100% accountability.
My hats off to all of them working hard down in Houston.
Lord Love every one of them. Glad they are clinging to their religion!
But what if those poor, alienated people need someone to lead them in demonstrations for larger welfare checks?
Liberal mainline denominations nowhere to be seen, but I’m sure their lobbyists in Washington are expressing outrage and demanding that the federal government help these poor people.
No, the Hollywood idiots wouldn’t dare lower themselves to help people in need.
Just like the Obamas and Bidens don’t give to charity. It’s always about someone else’s time, effort and money.
He told me I just had to write on my check for missions and 100% would be applied to missions. You can even designate foreign or U.S.missions.
As to the feeding and care of people in disaster areas they have stocked trailers with everything but perishables and can be ready in a few hours. I believe they rent the trucks to pull the trailers, I should say cabs. The big two wheelers.
I am not a good one to explain this. He knew about it because our church was involved with a disaster somewhere in and around southwestern Va.
He told me I just had to write on my check for missions and 100% would be applied to missions. You can even designate foreign or U.S.missions.
As to the feeding and care of people in disaster areas they have stocked trailers with everything but perishables and can be ready in a few hours. I believe they rent the trucks to pull the trailers, I should say cabs. The big two wheelers.
I am not a good one to explain this. He knew about it because our church was involved with a disaster somewhere in and around southwestern Va.
He told me I just had to write on my check for missions and 100% would be applied to missions. You can even designate foreign or U.S.missions.
As to the feeding and care of people in disaster areas they have stocked trailers with everything but perishables and can be ready in a few hours. I believe they rent the trucks to pull the trailers, I should say cabs. The big two wheelers.
I am not a good one to explain this. He knew about it because our church was involved with a disaster somewhere in and around southwestern Va.
They point you in the direction of the nearest government agency or office, and then whine often and loudly of how Bush and the "Right" in America don't care.
But not to worry; you'll never catch one of them so much as lifting a finger to do anything for anyone.
Your right these folks do GREAT work. They feed us each year in Oklahoma at the Annual Men’s Retreat, and I can tell you that the food is top notch. The meals they serve are not simple sandwiches and such, although they serve those too. Typical dinner is grilled chicken, baked potato, corn on the cob, tea and desert. Breakfast - Biscuits and gravy, sausage, cereal, OJ, and coffee. Your right the MSM won’t cover the fine work these people do!
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