Christians Ready Hurricane Response

As the massive category five storm Hurricane Dean continues to pound its way towards the Gulf of Mexico, Christian organisations are assembling their relief operations in preparation for large-scale devastation.

World Vision in the US said that its Mexico office had pre-positioned relief supplies in Yucatan in anticipation of huge needs for blankets, bed sheets, personal hygiene articles and medicines.

"This is a potentially historical storm," said Aldo Pontecorvo, director of humanitarian emergency assistance for World Vision in Mexico. "The Mexican coastline has never been hit by a Category 5 storm. We're preparing for extensive damage and widespread displacement."

Christian Aid staff and partner organisations are also stepping up relief efforts, including clearing trees and other debris blocking roads in Jamaica. The development agency will also be providing relief to people in Haiti whose crops have been destroyed.

Rhian Holder, Christian Aid's programme officer in Jamaica, described the scene as the storm moved in:

"It's very, very loud, the wind is roaring and shrieking. The trees are breaking, you're hearing branches snapping, you're hearing thuds, things falling, you're not sure what it is."

She added: "There is still no electricity across the island and communication is very difficult. In St Thomas, where one of our partners is based, the cell phone masts fell in a couple of areas, so it is very difficult to get through. The road to the airport in Kingston is blocked with trees, boulders and sand that have been blown across it."

While other agencies will bring food and water, US-based Christian charity New Directions International has readied equipment for emergency shelter in Jamaica, including plastic tarpaulins and tin sheets for temporary roofing, as well as materials for roof repairs in the wake of the hurricane.

"NDI will focus on providing shelter relief and helping people dig out," according to New Directions' CEO Joseph Williams, who added that the present hurricane resembled the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina to which New Directions also provided emergency shelter and supply within a few days.

The charity plans to remain in the hurricane-hit regions for the long haul. During the rebuilding phase, it will hand out backpacks full of school supplies among children as part of its Edu-Pack programme, and contribute towards the reconstruction of churches and schools.

The Salvation Army in Texas, meanwhile, has scrambled nine canteens and a mobile command centre to San Antonio in the case Hurricane Dean should take a turn towards the Lone Star State.

The canteens are stocked to feed a hundred first responders while the command centre will allow Salvation Army officers to coordinate their efforts to meet the urgent needs of hurricane victims.

An additional 35 canteens from across Texas are on standby and ready for deployment along evacuation routes after Dean touches down.

The hurricane left nine dead in the Caribbean before rampaging towards Mexico, where the number of casualties remains unclear.