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Thoughts and stories from members of The Place community.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Southern California Wildfires - How We Can Help
While the fires came within about 15 miles of The Place and much closer to the homes of some of our church family, the worst most of us suffered was from the incredibly smoky air, which has kept most of us indoors over the past week.The Seventh-day Adventist Church has a long history of effective disaster response and community service. Below is yesterday's memo from Adventist Community Services:
Southern California Fire Update
October 25, 2007
Since the fires began in Southern California, Adventist Community Services volunteers have been hard at work providing shelters and food in several Seventh-day Adventist churches. Some volunteers were themselves evacuees and were unsure they would have a house to go home to after the fires subsided.
More than 500,000 acres have burned and over 1,800 structures have been destroyed. 23 fires are still burning, but a favorable change in weather is giving fire fighters an opportunity to begin containing the blazes. Enough progress is being made that the largest shelter, Qualcomm Stadium, will be closing to evacuees Friday at noon. At this time, donations of goods and volunteers are not being requested.
Individuals who have been affected by this devastation should take advantage of assistance from state and federal sources. It is important to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency as soon as possible. This can be done by calling 800-621-3362. The website for the California Office of Emergency Services, www.oes.ca.gov, is a very good resource for information. Individual Assistance is currently available at nine different sites.
No Seventh-day Adventist churches or schools have been damaged, but the homes of more than 20 church members have been destroyed. Plans are being made to assist any families that have needs after insurance, FEMA and the State have provided assistance.
So, what can you do if you are not affected?Remember the words of Jesus Christ: “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”. Matt. 25:40
- Please pray for all of those who have suffered loss, find themselves evacuees, or are involved in responding to those in need.
- Make a financial donation (designated for Adventist Community Services Disaster Response) through:
- Your local church offering plate
- Your local conference or union office
- The North American Division office by going to www.communityservices.org or calling 800-381-7171.
- Go to the Pacific Union Conference website or North American Division ACS website for updates on what goods or volunteer assistance is needed.
- Prepare yourself and your family for future disasters by developing a disaster plan and keeping a basic disaster kit.
- Consider becoming part of the ACS Disaster Response ministry by attending a training session.
posted by The Place @ 10/26/2007 11:07:00 AM
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