The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International has committed funding to Adventist Community Services (ACS) to provide relief aid to those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

While ADRA operates emergency management programs worldwide, but outside of Northern America, it provides funding to local organizations, such as Adventist Community Services, when disaster strikes in the U.S.A.
According to an August 30 news release from ACS, its disaster response teams are preparing to provide relief in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Relief items being distributed in New Orleans, Louisiana, include blankets, new clothing, and personal kits, including toiletries. “We are working with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to set up a multi-agency warehouse nearby the devastated areas in Louisiana,” states Lavida Whitson, director for Adventist Community Services regional headquarters for Arkansas and Louisiana.

In Mississippi, volunteers are also providing food to the community and volunteers from two feeding units that can each produce 20,000 meals a day.

In Alabama, ACS is working with the state Emergency Operating Center (EOC) to conduct damage assessments, determine immediate needs, and strategize donation distribution methods.

To ensure that only specifically needed items are provided and to enable their immediate purchase, only monetary donations are being accepted. In the USA donations can be made to the ADRA Hurricane Relief Fund, by phone 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or online at www.adra.org.

ADRA is present in 125 countries providing community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, or ethnicity.