Saturday, September 20, 2008
Cleaning up Churches of Galveston
This link is a photo gallery of people on the island already cleaning up the churches in Galveston.
Crystal Beach Before and After
The Houston Chronicle has a set of recovery photos here that include these before and after aerial shots of Crystal Beach.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Last Man Standing
Probably the most shocking Ike aftermath picture is of the only house standing on the ocean side of Gilchrist. Compare that to what was there before on the google map satellite view of the town on the Bolivar Peninsula.View Larger Map
This Story on CNN.com is about the people who lived there and their experience.
Ike's storm surge last week devastated the Bolivar Peninsula town, flattening most of the roughly 200 homes there. The couple's yellow house at the beach -- supported 14 feet off the ground by wooden columns -- was the only house on Gilchrist's Gulf Coast side not to be flattened.
"As we got there, the tears started flowing," Warren Adams, 63, said Thursday after his first visit to the home since evacuating. "There's a yellow house sitting there, but that's all. It was devastating."
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Ike Photos
A friend of mine emailed this link today. This is all the stuff Mark and I were unable to see, either because flooding had receded or we weren't allowed into areas.
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/the_short_but_eventful_life_of.html
Here's a link to the few interesting pictures I took this week. The way this storm came out, it's either really bad, meaning we couldn't go see, or it's not so much worse than here.
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/the_short_but_eventful_life_of.html
Here's a link to the few interesting pictures I took this week. The way this storm came out, it's either really bad, meaning we couldn't go see, or it's not so much worse than here.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
New News Links
National news isn't covering much from Ike, but I've changed the newslinks to the right to focus on this event. The Houston Chronicle is a great source.
Assessment Complete. On the Road Home
Hoping this update finds you all with power and showered though it appears half the outages, 300,000 as of this morning, are still not repaired. Both our wives have been without all week so we're glad to be getting home tonight and able to assess the situation up there first hand. We completed our assessment across West Louisiana and East Texas yesterday afternoon, stayed with Tim in Mandeville again last night and are nearly to Birmingham on our way home right now.
There is a confirmed need of our type of help and there are several good options for us to partner with as their readiness matures. There are conflicting media and aid organization reports about the disaster area. As usual, what we’ve seen first hand indicates an average of what you may be hearing and what people have been emailing me. There are often those who exaggerate a situation intentionally or not, for good motives or bad. I am working hard to backcheck any information against what I can see and people who have proven trustworthy in our work.
The area effected and the population density of those not able to live in their homes is much smaller than we found after Katrina. Maybe 5-10% or so. There are probably many more casualties than have been reported as searches are just beginning. Barrier island communities where tens of thousands did not evacuate have been wiped clean in some sections by the storm. Those still out there continue to be evacuated by boat and helicopter to shelters. One man with a boat was allowed through a checkpoint where we were stopped yesterday to rescue friends who had called him from their roof in High Island.
This is no Katrina. None-the-less, there is extensive damage. Wind damage is probably about the same as at home in Ohio actually. Lots of limbs down and power out, but there were a lot of electrical crews in staging areas along I-10 in Louisiana and Texas not working. About half the electrical grid damage we saw was actively being worked on. Many areas of Huston have power restored, even right down next to Galveston Bay where the Eye came ashore. There are a few roofs missing significant areas of shingles and a lot of branches down, but the locals are pretty much cleaning that up.
View Larger Map
Flooding is a different situation, though, entirely. There are two categories of that. The worst hit places on the barrier islands, we could not get to, but photos on the news from the President’s visit yesterday show large areas where one in twenty houses, maybe less remain. The debris and even the piers that the house sat on are washed away. Nothing is left. That isn’t something we can help fix any time soon.
I want to head off a misconception for you that I had myself. Galveston Island, on the whole, is not a wealthy resort community. Many poor to middle class live on the island in ancestral homes that have been damaged or removed by the storm. 1/4 of people live below the poverty line. 14% are over 65. These are the kind of people we focus on helping.
There is a narrow line of flooding, much of it rural that we can work on immediately once we have a base of operations to work from. The largest pocket is near the space center along the eastern edge of Houston near Galveston bay. League City, Texas City, and places like that. Rural areas around Orange Texas and South East of Port Arthur are flooded, but mostly didn’t get the wave action that wiped away the homes that were more exposed to the sea. There is a low density of damaged homes in many areas, but everything in Bridge City was flooded.
We saw several distribution locations (news reports 60) FEMA has set up around Houston. The Southern Baptists were setting up a feeding station at Orange which is an appropriate location. They also have others on the way in according to their email update yesterday. Except for the most devastated areas where authorities rightly want to encourage people to leave because they are just unhealthy, people are not going hungry or thirsty that we can tell. Stores and gas stations are open in Houston and opening hourly in other areas as power is restored. Walmart in Port Arthur was open without power. Target in Friendswood was giving out truckloads of ice and water. The Red Cross is distributing meals. The Houston food bank is looking for additional assistance as their demand is way up, but still is functioning.
The primary need that we can fill as soon as a hosting organization is ready for us is mucking and maybe a little chain saw cleanup work.
Southeast Church of Christ in Friendswood, a Houston suburb may also host a relief effort for that area. They are in a suburban area and have great facilities for us to use and they are only 30 minutes from most damaged areas including Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula areas that were the hardest hit.
I’ve made contact with two churches in Nederland/Port Arthur about hosting operations for areas around Beaumont, Orange, Bridge City, etc.
Hilltop is discussing the possibility of hosting in Sulfur, Louisiana and investigating the areas we hit this week as well.
View Larger Map
Their decision of where to set up shop will impact our decision as we know the four needs of volunteers, work, showers, place to sleep, and food will be managed.
We’ve left business cards at churches that look suitable where we couldn’t find anyone and spoken with quite a few contacts investigating the needs and our options to work down there so it’s been a productive trip. The situation is still very new and fluid, as these things are, so no definite plans yet.
I still want to plan a tentative trip for Saturday, September 27. This would be a two day drive with an overnight each way, work for 5 days, and return home the following weekend, October 4 and 5.
Servants Unite!
John McGuire and Mark Day
There is a confirmed need of our type of help and there are several good options for us to partner with as their readiness matures. There are conflicting media and aid organization reports about the disaster area. As usual, what we’ve seen first hand indicates an average of what you may be hearing and what people have been emailing me. There are often those who exaggerate a situation intentionally or not, for good motives or bad. I am working hard to backcheck any information against what I can see and people who have proven trustworthy in our work.
The area effected and the population density of those not able to live in their homes is much smaller than we found after Katrina. Maybe 5-10% or so. There are probably many more casualties than have been reported as searches are just beginning. Barrier island communities where tens of thousands did not evacuate have been wiped clean in some sections by the storm. Those still out there continue to be evacuated by boat and helicopter to shelters. One man with a boat was allowed through a checkpoint where we were stopped yesterday to rescue friends who had called him from their roof in High Island.
This is no Katrina. None-the-less, there is extensive damage. Wind damage is probably about the same as at home in Ohio actually. Lots of limbs down and power out, but there were a lot of electrical crews in staging areas along I-10 in Louisiana and Texas not working. About half the electrical grid damage we saw was actively being worked on. Many areas of Huston have power restored, even right down next to Galveston Bay where the Eye came ashore. There are a few roofs missing significant areas of shingles and a lot of branches down, but the locals are pretty much cleaning that up.
View Larger Map
Flooding is a different situation, though, entirely. There are two categories of that. The worst hit places on the barrier islands, we could not get to, but photos on the news from the President’s visit yesterday show large areas where one in twenty houses, maybe less remain. The debris and even the piers that the house sat on are washed away. Nothing is left. That isn’t something we can help fix any time soon.
I want to head off a misconception for you that I had myself. Galveston Island, on the whole, is not a wealthy resort community. Many poor to middle class live on the island in ancestral homes that have been damaged or removed by the storm. 1/4 of people live below the poverty line. 14% are over 65. These are the kind of people we focus on helping.
There is a narrow line of flooding, much of it rural that we can work on immediately once we have a base of operations to work from. The largest pocket is near the space center along the eastern edge of Houston near Galveston bay. League City, Texas City, and places like that. Rural areas around Orange Texas and South East of Port Arthur are flooded, but mostly didn’t get the wave action that wiped away the homes that were more exposed to the sea. There is a low density of damaged homes in many areas, but everything in Bridge City was flooded.
We saw several distribution locations (news reports 60) FEMA has set up around Houston. The Southern Baptists were setting up a feeding station at Orange which is an appropriate location. They also have others on the way in according to their email update yesterday. Except for the most devastated areas where authorities rightly want to encourage people to leave because they are just unhealthy, people are not going hungry or thirsty that we can tell. Stores and gas stations are open in Houston and opening hourly in other areas as power is restored. Walmart in Port Arthur was open without power. Target in Friendswood was giving out truckloads of ice and water. The Red Cross is distributing meals. The Houston food bank is looking for additional assistance as their demand is way up, but still is functioning.
The primary need that we can fill as soon as a hosting organization is ready for us is mucking and maybe a little chain saw cleanup work.
Southeast Church of Christ in Friendswood, a Houston suburb may also host a relief effort for that area. They are in a suburban area and have great facilities for us to use and they are only 30 minutes from most damaged areas including Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula areas that were the hardest hit.
I’ve made contact with two churches in Nederland/Port Arthur about hosting operations for areas around Beaumont, Orange, Bridge City, etc.
Hilltop is discussing the possibility of hosting in Sulfur, Louisiana and investigating the areas we hit this week as well.
View Larger Map
Their decision of where to set up shop will impact our decision as we know the four needs of volunteers, work, showers, place to sleep, and food will be managed.
We’ve left business cards at churches that look suitable where we couldn’t find anyone and spoken with quite a few contacts investigating the needs and our options to work down there so it’s been a productive trip. The situation is still very new and fluid, as these things are, so no definite plans yet.
I still want to plan a tentative trip for Saturday, September 27. This would be a two day drive with an overnight each way, work for 5 days, and return home the following weekend, October 4 and 5.
Servants Unite!
John McGuire and Mark Day
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Winnie Texas
Lots more wind damage here. Got 7 miles from High Island and were stopped again. Appears there's still not getting to the coast.
Learned that Southeast Church of Christ in Houston area is setting up operations. No answer on the phone, but we're heading that way.
Learned that Southeast Church of Christ in Houston area is setting up operations. No answer on the phone, but we're heading that way.
News from the Road
Yesterday we drove through west Louisiana and into Nederland, Texas. There's no power on the Texas side anywhere except for a couple gas stations right on the I-10. We're now in Port Arthur and finding the worst hit areas, but I'll blog this out in sequence of our trip.
The wind damage is not so severe as with Rita and Katrina. Not even close, but some towns received a lot more storm surge than they did 3 years ago.
We did not visit, but Daphne German was in Laplatte, Louisiana last night and reports whole neighborhoods still underwater there.
After waiting through a lot of traffic (Texas plates headed home) we checked out Lafayette, and New Iberia and found no obvious problems there.
Delcambre, Louisiana has some flooding from storm surge. It had receeded enough that many people were already cleaning out their homes, but some roads were still flooded so we couldn't get out to the lower, extremely rural areas.
We drove west through Lake Charles finding minor wind damage, but most power is on, stores are open, and all is actually more normal there than in Ohio.
We spoke with Brian Spicer in Sulfer, Louisiana who has been running volunteer ops in West Louisiana since 2005 says most areas are OK, but he has heard from many residents of Cameron who have been rebuilding the last three years that their town is wiped away again. Even homes with 15 foot stilts (new building code) had water in them. They are in hotels he says. This area will need assistance in the weeks ahead, but there is little we can do now and can't get into the area yet.
Brian has met with 30 families from Cameron today and new information from ariel and boat surveys reinforces that the community was almost totally destroyed. They would like to have camping gear, stoves, ice chests, pots, pans, gas cans, insect repellant, probably tents, so they can live out there once they can get back into the area. They hope that will happen in the next couple of days.
We crossed the Texas border and topped off with Diesel. We turned south and drove through Orange (no power, and some wind damage) and into Bridge City. Areas around those towns flooded heavily and scuttlebut has it that many died there, but officials are not saying. We witnessed search and rescue boat and helicopter patrols at the base of the large bridge on the south end of town where we were turned back.
We drove through Beaumont (some power, some wind damage, flooded underpasses) and down into Nederland, TX where Mark Day's wife Jan has a cousin... Yea, it's that convoluted, but yet again God provided us with clean sheets a soft bed, and a tepid shower.
This morning we started in Port Arthur/Nederland area which has some wind damage and no power, but not a lot of structural damage to homes or electrical grid. A policeman, a preacher, and a church secretary we talked to all felt blessed with the outcome, but said Orange and Bridge City would really need help. We made some good contacts who may be able to host volunteers there.
We are attempting to get closer to the Boulivar Peninsula area where there was a lot of damage to assess. We don't expect to find any churches habitable down there though. We were turned back taking a southern route to Sabine Texas where they are only letting in residents, and the guy behind us with his boat who was going to rescue friends from their flooded neighborhood.
We went around another way towards High Island and were blocked by two barges washed on to the road. Dead cattle were in the ditch to the side and dead fish were scattered on the road. Got a pic (of the barges and fish) that'll I'll place here if I can.
We redirected again and ran into a closed floodwall, and after a final detour manged to get back onto the I-10 West of Beaumont.
I'll post updates as we can and as we have cell data service for Internet access.
Tim Hines reports president bush declared today that volunteer expenses would be reimbursed from the government, that we've gotten disaster fatigue and not as many people are volunteering. We hope this is true and await specifics.
Pray for us and Gary Watt's team from Hilltop Rescue as we survey the disaster zone.
Pray for all the storm victims in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky too. While I'm down here, I know many of you, including my family and Mark's are without power and cleaning up their neighborhoods. Be safe!
Servants Unite!
John McGuire
The wind damage is not so severe as with Rita and Katrina. Not even close, but some towns received a lot more storm surge than they did 3 years ago.
We did not visit, but Daphne German was in Laplatte, Louisiana last night and reports whole neighborhoods still underwater there.
After waiting through a lot of traffic (Texas plates headed home) we checked out Lafayette, and New Iberia and found no obvious problems there.
Delcambre, Louisiana has some flooding from storm surge. It had receeded enough that many people were already cleaning out their homes, but some roads were still flooded so we couldn't get out to the lower, extremely rural areas.
We drove west through Lake Charles finding minor wind damage, but most power is on, stores are open, and all is actually more normal there than in Ohio.
We spoke with Brian Spicer in Sulfer, Louisiana who has been running volunteer ops in West Louisiana since 2005 says most areas are OK, but he has heard from many residents of Cameron who have been rebuilding the last three years that their town is wiped away again. Even homes with 15 foot stilts (new building code) had water in them. They are in hotels he says. This area will need assistance in the weeks ahead, but there is little we can do now and can't get into the area yet.
Brian has met with 30 families from Cameron today and new information from ariel and boat surveys reinforces that the community was almost totally destroyed. They would like to have camping gear, stoves, ice chests, pots, pans, gas cans, insect repellant, probably tents, so they can live out there once they can get back into the area. They hope that will happen in the next couple of days.
We crossed the Texas border and topped off with Diesel. We turned south and drove through Orange (no power, and some wind damage) and into Bridge City. Areas around those towns flooded heavily and scuttlebut has it that many died there, but officials are not saying. We witnessed search and rescue boat and helicopter patrols at the base of the large bridge on the south end of town where we were turned back.
We drove through Beaumont (some power, some wind damage, flooded underpasses) and down into Nederland, TX where Mark Day's wife Jan has a cousin... Yea, it's that convoluted, but yet again God provided us with clean sheets a soft bed, and a tepid shower.
This morning we started in Port Arthur/Nederland area which has some wind damage and no power, but not a lot of structural damage to homes or electrical grid. A policeman, a preacher, and a church secretary we talked to all felt blessed with the outcome, but said Orange and Bridge City would really need help. We made some good contacts who may be able to host volunteers there.
We are attempting to get closer to the Boulivar Peninsula area where there was a lot of damage to assess. We don't expect to find any churches habitable down there though. We were turned back taking a southern route to Sabine Texas where they are only letting in residents, and the guy behind us with his boat who was going to rescue friends from their flooded neighborhood.
We went around another way towards High Island and were blocked by two barges washed on to the road. Dead cattle were in the ditch to the side and dead fish were scattered on the road. Got a pic (of the barges and fish) that'll I'll place here if I can.
We redirected again and ran into a closed floodwall, and after a final detour manged to get back onto the I-10 West of Beaumont.
I'll post updates as we can and as we have cell data service for Internet access.
Tim Hines reports president bush declared today that volunteer expenses would be reimbursed from the government, that we've gotten disaster fatigue and not as many people are volunteering. We hope this is true and await specifics.
Pray for us and Gary Watt's team from Hilltop Rescue as we survey the disaster zone.
Pray for all the storm victims in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky too. While I'm down here, I know many of you, including my family and Mark's are without power and cleaning up their neighborhoods. Be safe!
Servants Unite!
John McGuire
Sunday, September 14, 2008
On the Road Again
Mark Day (South IB groups) and I are traveling down I-65 currently while you are enjoying the remnants of Hurricane Ike. There's been quite a lack of information coming in from the storm's aftermath so we're on our way down to scout out needs and hosting sites to work with. Post storm analysis, though, says Galveston bay only got a 13 foot storm surge rather than the possible 25 foot predicted due to a change in course of the storm. That means the maximum surge was felt more around Port Arthur and Beaumont, destinations we hope to investigate this week.
Plan on a team leaving by next Sunday for chainsaw and mudout work. Also useful will be counselors and medical types who can handle first aid for the body, the brain, and the soul. If you can join such a trip or take responsibility to lead it down, please reply by email, or call Melinda McGuire at 614-523-3996. She tells me (via cell phone), though that our power is out at the moment. Hopefully those problems up there will be short lived.
There are going to be people needing trees cut up there. Amy Fox, one of our initial volunteers, has already called with a large tree in her yard in Westerville. If you need help, or want to offer it, email replies or a call to Melinda will work to get people together for the local effort too. If you have elderly or disabled neighbors, please take this opportunity to check on them today and tomorrow.
We're staying with Tim Hines in Mandeville tonight. We will keep you posted as to what we find this week on the blog and less frequently via more emails.
As always your prayers are requested and appreciated for safety, the wisdom of the spirit, and successful outreach in Jesus' name.
Servants Unite!
John McGuire
Plan on a team leaving by next Sunday for chainsaw and mudout work. Also useful will be counselors and medical types who can handle first aid for the body, the brain, and the soul. If you can join such a trip or take responsibility to lead it down, please reply by email, or call Melinda McGuire at 614-523-3996. She tells me (via cell phone), though that our power is out at the moment. Hopefully those problems up there will be short lived.
There are going to be people needing trees cut up there. Amy Fox, one of our initial volunteers, has already called with a large tree in her yard in Westerville. If you need help, or want to offer it, email replies or a call to Melinda will work to get people together for the local effort too. If you have elderly or disabled neighbors, please take this opportunity to check on them today and tomorrow.
We're staying with Tim Hines in Mandeville tonight. We will keep you posted as to what we find this week on the blog and less frequently via more emails.
As always your prayers are requested and appreciated for safety, the wisdom of the spirit, and successful outreach in Jesus' name.
Servants Unite!
John McGuire
Saturday, September 13, 2008
This is the next big one
Our response now seems inevitable after two large storms have rolled over an area covering more than half the gulf coast in a week.
This is a telling article about the last major hurricane to hit Galveston and Houston 100 years ago.
Unfortunately, Ike, though a category 2, is expected to be producing a maximum storm surge, at this hour, of 20-25 feet; up to 11 feet higher than that 1900 storm which destroyed everything on Galveston Island. Add to that wave heights of 25-50 feet. All this due to the fact that the storm is over 900 miles wide and carries tropical storm strength winds across a 550 mile swath including much of Louisiana still recovering from Rita and Gustav. Estimates indicate, only 60% of Galveston residents left the island. Most of Houston was not evacuated to avoid the deaths and other problems experienced in the evacuation attempt from hurricane Rita 3 years ago.
As the storm has come ashore, officials are telling the press this is their worst case scenario.
Please be in prayer today for those who have lost their lives last night, those who will be out first to begin the relief response and rescue, and our part. We will need volunteers to collect water, lead teams, be hands and feet in the disaster zone, and help organize all our efforts. We need contacts in the area to find a partner to work with. We'll need the power of the Spirit to sustain us and use us to His will.
Servants Unite!
John McGuire
This is a telling article about the last major hurricane to hit Galveston and Houston 100 years ago.
Unfortunately, Ike, though a category 2, is expected to be producing a maximum storm surge, at this hour, of 20-25 feet; up to 11 feet higher than that 1900 storm which destroyed everything on Galveston Island. Add to that wave heights of 25-50 feet. All this due to the fact that the storm is over 900 miles wide and carries tropical storm strength winds across a 550 mile swath including much of Louisiana still recovering from Rita and Gustav. Estimates indicate, only 60% of Galveston residents left the island. Most of Houston was not evacuated to avoid the deaths and other problems experienced in the evacuation attempt from hurricane Rita 3 years ago.
As the storm has come ashore, officials are telling the press this is their worst case scenario.
Please be in prayer today for those who have lost their lives last night, those who will be out first to begin the relief response and rescue, and our part. We will need volunteers to collect water, lead teams, be hands and feet in the disaster zone, and help organize all our efforts. We need contacts in the area to find a partner to work with. We'll need the power of the Spirit to sustain us and use us to His will.
Servants Unite!
John McGuire
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Help for Haiti
Servants Unite, small as we are, is not an international relief organization. However, as we've been blessed with weekening storms this season, Haiti has been beaten by every one of them. A humanitarian crisis is looming.
Lifeline Christian Mission has a large mission with diverse services in Grand Goave Haiti and their US operation is based right here in Westerville, Ohio.
They are receiving 5 times the usual number of people seeking food and clean water. Unfortunately, they have had to turn people away.
To help alleviate the need, they hope to pack a container this weekend with the supplies in their warehouse to ship out next week. Volunteers may be needed in Westerville when the container arrives. I will let you know when it is there.
They are also asking for additional donations to ship as many containers as they can fill.
My recommendations is if you feel called to help organize donations for this special need they are filling, help organize your church, school group (IB kids :-), service organization, work, whatever to gather only the requested supplies at your meeting place. We can then get the supplies to Lifeline in bulk rather than several hundred people dropping off a case of water each.
Servants Unite will organize pickup of these supplies from your location and deliver them to Lifeline if you need assistance with that part of it.
If you wish to work with Lifeline directly, go for it. The contact at the office who will be handling supplies is Dana Krahel, Volunteer Coordinator. They are at 184 Olde County Line Road, Westerville, Ohio 43081. Phone: 614-794-0108.
Here's the plea letter we received this week:
We ARE having a Non Perishable Food Drive in Ohio and one in Indiana and hope to get an entire container of food ready to ship in about 1 month (we already have some food on the way now to Haiti for a stop-gap measure and we’ll buy what we have to buy, Lord willing!):
At this time we are NOT requesting clothing or shoes; only food.
We have put out a plea for funds but are also preparing a flyer to be sent to our churches asking for these items. We will receive them and send them on regular schedule containers too, as long as they keep coming in. We ship at a minimum once a quarter from our warehouse.
Thank you again and pray with us that in all of this loss that people will turn to Christ and know that He is the answer!
God bless you and tell everyone at Westerville “thank you”!
Bob and Gretchen
Lifeline Christian Mission has a large mission with diverse services in Grand Goave Haiti and their US operation is based right here in Westerville, Ohio.
They are receiving 5 times the usual number of people seeking food and clean water. Unfortunately, they have had to turn people away.
To help alleviate the need, they hope to pack a container this weekend with the supplies in their warehouse to ship out next week. Volunteers may be needed in Westerville when the container arrives. I will let you know when it is there.
They are also asking for additional donations to ship as many containers as they can fill.
My recommendations is if you feel called to help organize donations for this special need they are filling, help organize your church, school group (IB kids :-), service organization, work, whatever to gather only the requested supplies at your meeting place. We can then get the supplies to Lifeline in bulk rather than several hundred people dropping off a case of water each.
Servants Unite will organize pickup of these supplies from your location and deliver them to Lifeline if you need assistance with that part of it.
If you wish to work with Lifeline directly, go for it. The contact at the office who will be handling supplies is Dana Krahel, Volunteer Coordinator. They are at 184 Olde County Line Road, Westerville, Ohio 43081. Phone: 614-794-0108.
Here's the plea letter we received this week:
We ARE having a Non Perishable Food Drive in Ohio and one in Indiana and hope to get an entire container of food ready to ship in about 1 month (we already have some food on the way now to Haiti for a stop-gap measure and we’ll buy what we have to buy, Lord willing!):
- Canned and foil packaged meats and meals
- Dried beans, peas
- Rice
- Pastas of all types
- Canned vegetables
- Soups
- Canned meals such as Spaghetti-O’s, etc.
- Bottle Water
- Peanut butter
At this time we are NOT requesting clothing or shoes; only food.
We have put out a plea for funds but are also preparing a flyer to be sent to our churches asking for these items. We will receive them and send them on regular schedule containers too, as long as they keep coming in. We ship at a minimum once a quarter from our warehouse.
Thank you again and pray with us that in all of this loss that people will turn to Christ and know that He is the answer!
God bless you and tell everyone at Westerville “thank you”!
Bob and Gretchen
Ike Ike go away!
Prayer, petitioning for the devolution of Gustav... The storm weekend to a category 2 rather than growing to a category4. Katrina, if you'll remember was roaring into New Orleans as a strong category5, but deteriorated to a category 3 by landfall. Rita had the lowest barometric pressure ever recorded while in the gulf, but deteriorated, against predictions, before making landfall and missed the metropolis of Houston/Galveston, also against predictions.
Ike is the last storm on our scopes of this menacing train of storms this past month. It is projected to make landfall near Houston tomorrow night. The trend in course predictions from the National Weather Service is moving it closer to that highly vulnerable area overnight.
Responding to Houston, like we did New Orleans, is more difficult because of the added distance. Nonetheless, if called, we will go.
Let's do our best to avoid that necessity, though with prayer and petition to our Lord to quiet the storm as he has the others. As bad as they have been, we know this one can be even more devestating to more than 2 million people living there.
John McGuire
Post Gustav Update from Chalmette
Here's an update from Aaron at The Gathering who we've stayed and worked with for several trips during the past year.
greetings,
if anyone emailed over the weeked, we had a small snafu with our website and server, so i may have not received what you sent this way. same with shauna.
anyhow, we received power on friday, sept 5th- most people's refrigerators were a bit of a mess. neighbors across the street lost lots of shingles--enough that the paper and vents were gone, too leaving exposed wood and attic-their drywall ceilings fell into the bedrooms! what a mess.
shauna returned friday evening and our whole team has jumped in:
-patching shingles -tarping roofs -standing fences back up...
..mowing lawn for a national guardsmen who had long hours on duty in new orleans during the evacuation -cooking food and passing it out "down the road" (several people still w/out power on the far east end of our parish sunday and monday)
tomorrow we'll go help remove the floor at dennis' house- he's a good friend who was very close to moving into his house last week (moving in for first time since katrina). we were going to go over and do some touch up painting, but his front door blew in during Gustav and his new flooring is ruined.
from some of these comments notice the heartache that some people might have with some old Katrina emotions returning. our task is clear- serve and love like Jesus, pointing at Him and reminding people over and again that He is hope and love.
thanks for asking about things and for sending the emails our way. a few of you said you'd been meaning to call me anyway- ha, my how disasters bring us together. and for that, see attached picture about how we all find strength to lean on-finding anything and everything to make a fence stand! and the first pic is our group driving back from the retreat.
aaron johnson
the gathering
chalmette, LA
504 610 7779
greetings,
if anyone emailed over the weeked, we had a small snafu with our website and server, so i may have not received what you sent this way. same with shauna.
anyhow, we received power on friday, sept 5th- most people's refrigerators were a bit of a mess. neighbors across the street lost lots of shingles--enough that the paper and vents were gone, too leaving exposed wood and attic-their drywall ceilings fell into the bedrooms! what a mess.
shauna returned friday evening and our whole team has jumped in:
-patching shingles -tarping roofs -standing fences back up...
tomorrow we'll go help remove the floor at dennis' house- he's a good friend who was very close to moving into his house last week (moving in for first time since katrina). we were going to go over and do some touch up painting, but his front door blew in during Gustav and his new flooring is ruined.
from some of these comments notice the heartache that some people might have with some old Katrina emotions returning. our task is clear- serve and love like Jesus, pointing at Him and reminding people over and again that He is hope and love.
thanks for asking about things and for sending the emails our way. a few of you said you'd been meaning to call me anyway- ha, my how disasters bring us together. and for that, see attached picture about how we all find strength to lean on-finding anything and everything to make a fence stand! and the first pic is our group driving back from the retreat.
please pray that our work and daily endeavors keeps advancing the Kingdom rather than our own agenda.
our AC went out in the car- now we have those decisions to make. and next week we plan to begin a Financial Peace group meeting at a local school. hopefully another way of meeting people and helping families. thanks!
aaron johnson
the gathering
chalmette, LA
504 610 7779
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Tuesday night update from Brendan
Well it's about 6:30 pm and were almost out of it here. We are still getting some feeder bands carrying wind and tornadoes. We have had a few close calls near my home but most of them have landed out in pastures. Tomorrow I am venturing out into surrounding areas. Baton Rouge got hit pretty hard with wind damage and there is a big need for chainsaws. So we will see.
For anyone that has tried calling me at my 985 number I had it changed to 225-368-5223. Guy with my old number says I must have alot of friends cause he has gotten many calls. Anyway just letting everyone know we are ok. Thank you for all your prayers.
brendan
For anyone that has tried calling me at my 985 number I had it changed to 225-368-5223. Guy with my old number says I must have alot of friends cause he has gotten many calls. Anyway just letting everyone know we are ok. Thank you for all your prayers.
brendan
The next few weeks...
Tentatively I think we can still plan to send a team down to Louisiana or Mississippi this coming weekend. If you wish to go, please email me or call Melinda at the numbers on the blog. Work will primarily be chain saw work cutting up trees and tarping roofs. Accommodations are not yet secured for more than a few people so the team may need to take a camper or two with them. More details as they are available.
I have not heard of a need for supplies to be shipped down at this time. However, tens of thousands of low income New Orlineans have been shipped to shelters across the country. Churches are hosting them as close as Louisville Kentucky. There may be a need to assist them until they can get back home, depending on some decisions the Red Cross will have to make.
More details on Gustav relief as they are available.
Many more storms are coming. Hanna is aiming at Charleston South Carolina, Tropical storm, soon to be hurricane Ike formed yesterday and is following Hannah, Tropical depression 10 formed overnight out past Ike and is in line following it and Hanna West.
Also, another area of activity between Hannah and Ike as well as a 2nd area of activity North of the train may still develop into storms. We are facing a huge increase in activity that may still require responses to other parts of the country. Keep posted for updates.
I have not heard of a need for supplies to be shipped down at this time. However, tens of thousands of low income New Orlineans have been shipped to shelters across the country. Churches are hosting them as close as Louisville Kentucky. There may be a need to assist them until they can get back home, depending on some decisions the Red Cross will have to make.
More details on Gustav relief as they are available.
Many more storms are coming. Hanna is aiming at Charleston South Carolina, Tropical storm, soon to be hurricane Ike formed yesterday and is following Hannah, Tropical depression 10 formed overnight out past Ike and is in line following it and Hanna West.
Also, another area of activity between Hannah and Ike as well as a 2nd area of activity North of the train may still develop into storms. We are facing a huge increase in activity that may still require responses to other parts of the country. Keep posted for updates.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Brendan's OK and already looking for help
Greensburg where he's at presently was hit hard all day by heavy storm bands. Many tornadoes have been reported throughout the area all day long. Lots and lots of trees are down. They lost power at 10:00, cell service at 11:00, and landline phone service at 1:00 today. It's still storming hard there now. He drove 15 miles up the road to get cell service to check on family and get word out.
The area he reports is most heavily effected by the wind damage and downed trees is in the yellow on this map.
He's working on a place for chainsaw crews to stay and work for next week.
The area he reports is most heavily effected by the wind damage and downed trees is in the yellow on this map.
He's working on a place for chainsaw crews to stay and work for next week.
Monday night update on our friends.
I've heard nothing from anyone in New Orleans. My cell showed a connection to Brendan's phone in Greensburg, LA, but just static on the line. Not sure if he heard me or not. Sent a text. That area has had a lot of tornadoes and strong storm bands all day. I'll put up a new post when I hear from him.
Talked to Daphne German in Bayou La Batre Alabama. The surge was not bad there. There was water and waves over the park we stayed in there last summer, but they could drive through it at noon today. She reports there is not much damage that far east.
Heavy storm bands went through the Mississippi coastal area between there and New Orleans. I expect if we are needed it'll be for chain saw crews to work in that area and north of New Orleans for a few weeks. As of now, just on the back side of the storm it appears that massive amounts of prayer have paid off.
Talked to Daphne German in Bayou La Batre Alabama. The surge was not bad there. There was water and waves over the park we stayed in there last summer, but they could drive through it at noon today. She reports there is not much damage that far east.
Heavy storm bands went through the Mississippi coastal area between there and New Orleans. I expect if we are needed it'll be for chain saw crews to work in that area and north of New Orleans for a few weeks. As of now, just on the back side of the storm it appears that massive amounts of prayer have paid off.
More on the way
After Gustav, there's a train of storms incoming.
Hannah is projected to land on the Georgia North Carolina border Friday as a Category 1 or weak 2. Tropical Storm Ike gained that status today after becoming a tropical depression just this morning. It is heading for the Caribbean islands.
Projections of both Gustav and Hannah are showing they will impact our weather here in Ohio.
Hannah is projected to land on the Georgia North Carolina border Friday as a Category 1 or weak 2. Tropical Storm Ike gained that status today after becoming a tropical depression just this morning. It is heading for the Caribbean islands.Projections of both Gustav and Hannah are showing they will impact our weather here in Ohio.
Gustov Drops to Category 1
Gustov came ashore around 9:00 this morning Central Time. It has now dropped to a Category 1 level as it moves further onshore oblique to New Orleans exposing that area to the heaviest rains and tornado risk. Tornado warnings are up out through Mobile Alabama and up to Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Storm surge is hitting 9' and a little more in peak areas, but the New Orleans Industrial Canal is at the top of the flood walls and waves are being blown over. There is still a good possibility that continued surge and runnoff from the heavy rains up stream can push the water level over the wall and begin to flood areas West of the canal.
A barge and two decomissioned Navy ships have broken loose and are pinned against a bridge, but may damage the flood walls if they break loose.
It isn't yet as bad as expected, but there's still a lot we don't know and it isn't over yet. Please continue prayers. They are working!
Storm surge is hitting 9' and a little more in peak areas, but the New Orleans Industrial Canal is at the top of the flood walls and waves are being blown over. There is still a good possibility that continued surge and runnoff from the heavy rains up stream can push the water level over the wall and begin to flood areas West of the canal.
A barge and two decomissioned Navy ships have broken loose and are pinned against a bridge, but may damage the flood walls if they break loose.
It isn't yet as bad as expected, but there's still a lot we don't know and it isn't over yet. Please continue prayers. They are working!
Gustav Update - Monday Morning
Just woke Brendan Hendrix up checking on him. He says it's picking up pretty good there in Greensburg, LA. Gustav is just off Houma, Louisiana and has degraded to a category 2 storm!
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