The world has a growing need for well-informed, thoughtful engagement with natural disaster relief work.
This morning in USATODAY, I wrote on the role of faith-based organizations in disaster relief. I explained,
Government is essential in the rescue stage — they have the equipment and means to move that equipment. The Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are hard at work right now. Yet, their work alone is insufficient to rebuild the homes and lives of people impacted by natural disasters each year. In fact, over the past decades, we have seen a growing acknowledgement (from government, no less) of the reliable role of faith-based organizations.
The fact is, right now as we move into the relief mode, it is faith-based groups that will lead the way, as the immediatel rescue efforts soon subside.
You will see them on the ground, often in yellow hats. Unfortunately, it is too late for you to join them if you’ve not already been trained.
Lots of Disasters
This may serve as a surprise to some of us, but records are indicating that between 1995 and 2015, a shocking 6,457 weather-related disasters occurred. These disasters left 4.1 billion people injured and claimed 606,000 lives.
Many of us don’t realize the serious toll that natural disasters take on our world each year. People are losing family members, being displaced from their homes and robbed of their personal possessions on a regular basis. Unfortunately, studies continue to indicate that the frequency with which these storms occur isn’t going down any time soon.
The nation—and the world—have watched this week as Hurricane Harvey continues to pour buckets of rain down on the state of Texas. As relief efforts and volunteer workers are pouring into the state, many might not have known how to help or what resources to contribute. ...
from
http://feeds.christianitytoday.com/~r/christianitytoday/ctmag/~3/W9AVCzdAnjg/want-to-help-during-disaster-heres-few-dos-and-donts.html
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