Hurricane Katrina's devastating effects can be seen in the flooded streets and homes of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi as residents try to recover from one of the worse hurricanes ever to hit the United States.

The driving 165-mph winds and battering rains irrevocably changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, leaving behind flooded streets, damaged homes and nowhere to go. Katrina is responsible for at least 110 deaths and may claim hundreds or even thousands more, government officials said.

Along with neighbours across the country, Seventh-day Adventists are providing cash donations and sending volunteers to the hardest hit areas to help hurricane victims. Adventist Community Services (ACS) Disaster Response volunteers are bringing needed supplies to those affected by Katrina.

ACS, which works in 200 cities in North America, is providing blankets, clothing and personal kits before hurricane survivors are transported to nearby shelters. The volunteers are distributing supplies that are pre-packaged and stored in large truck units that supply nearly 1,700 people, which the workers continually restock.

"We are working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to set up a multi-agency warehouse nearby the devastated areas in Louisiana," said Lavida Whitson, ACS director for the Arkansas-Louisiana region. "The multi-agency warehouse will be managed by ACS Disaster Response and used to supply state designated distribution sites. Our warehouse operation is where volunteers sort and package donated goods, pull orders and load trucks for delivery to the affected areas."

ACS has often set up and managed such multi-agency warehouses and other facilities after natural disasters, working with FEMA as well as state and local agencies and organizations.

It's been reported that at least 15 Adventist churches in New Orleans, Louisiana and surrounding areas are under water, but no Adventist families are known to have suffered casualties.

Hurricane Katrina dealt a devastating blow to Bass Memorial Academy in Lumberton, Mississippi, an Adventist boarding school located approximately 95 miles Northeast of New Orleans and 75 miles Northwest of Gulfport, Mississippi, both coastal cities hard hit by the storm.

The school gymnasium's roof was damaged and the floor is under water. A new computer lab is in shambles, its roof also breached and ceiling panels and insulation falling on the equipment. Covered walkways were torn up and numerous trees are down.

Adding to the anxiety is a report from local ministerial secretary Don Shelton that church officials "still are unable to contact any of our members in the Biloxi/Gulf Coast area."

Florida ACS Disaster response teams are transporting three generators to provide power to the academy's campus. The volunteers are also providing food to the local community and volunteers from two feeding units that can each produce 20,000 meals a day.

"We are aiming to have all of our equipment delivered by this Friday so we can accommodate volunteers to assist with rebuilding the academy's campus," said David Canther, ACS director for the church in Florida.

In Alabama, ACS disaster response leaders are working with the state Emergency Operating Center (EOC) to conduct assessments of the damages, determine immediate needs, and strategize donation distribution methods.

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International has committed funding to ACS for hurricane relief aid.

"The greatest help that anyone can provide is financial contributions," said Joe Watts, national coordinator of ACS Disaster Response.

For more than 100 years, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has provided emergency relief through Adventist Community Services Disaster Response, and ADRA operates emergency management programs overseas, and provides funding to local organizations, such as ACS, when disaster strikes in the United States. ACS Disaster Response operates in partnership with FEMA and is a member of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. .... [Editors: Jerrica Thurman, Mark A. Kellner for ACS/ANN/APD]

Related Sites
Adventist Community Services Those wishing to support relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina can donate to Adventist Community Services via this online Web site link.