Christian Groups Prepare for 'Very Active' Hurricane Season
Some of the nation's largest Christian relief groups are in the midst of training and networking with other agencies ahead of a predicted "very active" 2007 Atlantic hurricane season.
In preparation, groups such as the Salvation Army, the North American Mission Board, and Convoy of Hope are presently attending the National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans.
The Apr. 2-6 conference convenes NGOs (non-governmental organization), government bodies, and experts to learn and share about the latest ideas, information and technology to prepare effectively for the upcoming hurricane season.
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According to top researcher William Gray's annual hurricane forecast, there will be at least nine hurricanes and a good chance of one hitting the U.S. coast this season, reported The Associated Press. Gray further predicts 17 storms consisting of five major hurricanes.
The forecast comes two months ahead of the hurricane season.
Terry Henderson, national disaster relief director of the North American Mission Board, is currently at the National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans. He informed The Christian Post that his organization does not hold any specific training right before hurricane season, but instead holds training year-round for all types of disasters.
Yet other groups such as The Salvation Army and Church World Service are in the midst of special hurricane preparation.
Jeff Jellets, disaster services director at The Salvation Army's Southern Territory, is currently in Texas helping agencies with shelter training to respond in case more evacuation shelters need to be open this season. Jellets explained that local agencies have realized that even in small communities there must be local capacity to response to hurricanes.
"We use to think, 'Well we will get resources from this city or that city,'" said Jellets to The Christian Post on Wednesday. "But in an event like Katrina or Rita, everyone is overwhelmed so you really have to build that grassroots foundation."
The SA disaster director said the class on Wednesday gathered together local churches, the Salvation Army, Red Cross, United Way and the local government to coordinate efforts.
Jellets said SA has changed some of its tactics compared to the past including preparing for a catastrophic event, such as Katrina, rather than a normal hurricane. This means SA has increased its stock pile of clean up kits – including mops, buckets, and broom – from about 10,000-20,000 to 80,000.
Meanwhile, Church World Service is preparing its team of expert long-term recovery trainers and project developers to respond to relief and recovery needs in a community after a storm.
Linda Reed Brown, CWS associate director for Domestic Emergency Response Programs, said one way the group is preparing is ensuring that it has a "healthy" inventory of health and cleaning supplies to send during emergencies
"Given this year's tornado season has been active very early, and predictions are for a busy hurricane season, we've issued appeals that will bolster our stockpiles of emergency blankets and those health and cleaning supply kits," noted Brown.
Salvation Army's disaster services director concluded with advice to families living in hurricane areas.
"If I can give everybody who is in a hurricane prone area one thought – look at a family preparedness plan and make sure you have a central supply to take care of your family and an evacuation plan in place before hurricane season," emphasized Jellets.
"Because what happens is so many people don't plan ahead so that when an emergency does occur they begin to stress the ability of the emergency responders to respond. We would have been much better during Katrina if everybody who evacuated came to a shelter with their medications, spare clothing, and bedding.
"Hurricanes are a type of disaster that you can take time to prepare for ... so everybody can make these situations better by just doing some basic preparedness steps," advised the disaster relief expert.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
