Disaster relief teams working nearly non-stop in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Gustav are now shifting their attention to Texas where warning signs of fast-approaching Ike have already appeared.
As high waves crash against seawalls in Galveston and forecasters warn of "certain death" to anyone remaining in the coastal city, the Southern Baptist Convention's disaster relief arm is already feeding people at evacuation sites in San Antonio, Laredo, and the Bryan/College Station areas in Texas.
Since Hurricane Gustav's landfall in Louisiana on Labor Day, Southern Baptist volunteers have prepared almost 770,000 meals; provided 7,903 showers and 1,138 loads of laundry; made 9,122 ministry contacts; and recorded 72 Gospel presentations and 75 professions of faith, according to statistics kept by the North American Mission Board's disaster operations centre.
Meanwhile, Operation Blessing International has been working closely with partners in the Christian Relief Cooperative including The Salvation Army, Samaritan's Purse, Billy Graham Rapid Response and Convoy of Hope.
A Billy Graham Rapid Response Team will leave BGEA headquarters on Saturday with a caravan from Samaritan's Purse, it announced Thursday. The two Christian ministries, which share Franklin Graham as their CEO, plan to have Samaritan's Purse meet the physical needs of victims while the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team cares for people's spiritual and emotional needs.
In the Caribbean, Lutheran World Relief is responding to the need in Haiti, which was hit by four tropical storms and hurricanes during this hurricane season - Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike. All 10 of the country's regions have been severely affected, resulting in thousands of already struggling residents without homes, food, or a way to make income, the group reported.
