The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International continues to aid Hurricane Katrina survivors and evacuees, continuing to provide emergency response as well as focusing on long-term development.

ADRA has funded, to date, close to US$1 million through local partners and organizations on the ground that are directly involved in emergency response programs providing food, clothing, and other relief items for evacuees.

Additionally, ADRA has shipped more than US$1.2 million worth of personal care supplies, new clothing, food, cleaning supplies, and general items for evacuees through warehouses operated by Adventist Community Services (ACS) in the Gulf Coast region.

“ADRA’s commitment to the ongoing needs of Hurricane Katrina survivors remains strong and active,” says Mario Ochoa, executive vice president of ADRA International. “Through our local partners, ADRA is providing much-needed comfort and support.”

New emergency response activities include:

Funding support for emergency feeding programs for evacuees, as well as equipment for warehouses active in the distribution of emergency supplies.

Funding to support a relief project implemented by Think on These Things, a non-profit organization based out of Atlanta, Georgia, that is providing hot meals and groceries to 100 evacuees in the Atlanta area on a weekly basis.

Funding for relief activities at The Maranatha Adventist Community Services Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, providing food, water, clothing, and blankets for evacuees, as well as rehabilitation for 200 homes in the Gulfport area.

Funding for the Gulfhaven Seventh-day Adventist Church in Houston, Texas, providing up to 33,000 meals for evacuees in the Houston area.

Funding for Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, to provide, food, water and shelter for families that have been displaced in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Panama City Seventh-day Adventist Church, one of ADRA’s relief partners during this tragedy, also continues to provide for the needs of survivors in the Gulf Coast region. To date, an estimated 20,000 pounds of food, clothing, and health and comfort items have been transported and delivered to survivors in the Gulf Coast region whose homes were destroyed by Katrina.

Long-Term development

Funding for a project being implemented by Baltimore Adventist Community Services (BACS) for Katrina evacuees living in the Metropolitan Baltimore area. The project will provide eight weeks of job training that will help participants sharpen skills, increase computer literacy, and prepare them for jobs in the distribution industry.

Participants will also be paired with a professional mentor, which will help them meet the challenges of a new job. Evacuees with advanced skills will also receive weekly networking opportunities, resume preparation, and transportation assistance to job interviews.
Funding for a project sponsoring more than 1,000 volunteers who will implement relief and rehabilitation projects in the Gulf Coast. The program, implemented by the Center for Youth Evangelism (CYE), will provide housing, food, and basic necessities for volunteers.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, or ethnicity in all of its programs, including its response to Hurricane Katrina.

Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.or