Recent hurricanes have made landfall along the Caribbean and in the United States, leaving a trail of destruction and injuring thousands in what is shaping up to be one of the most turbulent hurricane seasons to date.
With 2005’s Hurricane Katrina still fresh in their minds, many residents are now facing a new cleanup effort. Recent storms felled trees, literally sheered the roofs off of homes, and triggered massive power outages, leaving millions of households without electricity. Early estimates predict damages in excess of $10 billion.
In response to these latest disasters, Hand of Hope, Joyce Meyer Ministries World Missions has joined with organizations like Healing Place Church (HPC), Convoy of Hope and Service International (SI) to bring much needed help and hope to residents in Texas, Louisiana and beyond.
A Shelter in the Storm
In partnership with Homeland Security, Healing Place Church in Louisiana is acting as one of the many official relief shelters for those displaced from their homes, and they are dispatching their mobile medical and dental trucks to bring free medical care to some of the thousands who need treatment. In addition, HPC is also supplying emergency generators to local pastors and churches.
To date, HPC and its affiliated outreaches have delivered 90 semi-truckloads of vital necessities to 20 separate points of distribution throughout Louisiana. They have given away over 13,000 bags of ice; 1,000 gallons of gas; 15,500 tarps to cover damaged homes; more than 600,000 bottles of water; 124,000 bottles of juice and refreshments and 4,000 packs of hygiene products. In addition, each day they have cleaned up more than 300 yards and have daily prepared and distributed 43,000 hot meals.
Meanwhile, state police have helped escort a fleet of Convoy of Hope trucks into the cities of New Iberia, Baton Rouge, Donaldsonville and Houma, Louisiana. They are also assisting several Texas cities—including Cleveland, Houston, Port Arthur and San Antonio—and are helping bring much needed assistance to the Caribbean nation of Cuba as well.
Along with the many other relief organizations on the scene, these trucks, manned by teams of volunteers, have become lifesaving distribution sites and are daily providing multiplied thousands of families with water, ice and other vital necessities. To date, they have distributed 1.2 million pounds of food and supplies valued at $1.7 million.
“It’s been a bumper-to-bumper line of vehicles that has no end—it’s at least a mile long,” says Convoy of Hope volunteer Travis Spencer. “So many people have been expressing gratitude for receiving something as simple as ice. Some are diabetics and need to keep their insulin cool.”
In addition, Hand of Hope has joined with Grace Community Church in Houston and Sugar Land Family Church in Sugar Land to offer food, water and supplies to the thousands who are looking for help and some kind of relief. We are not only impacting the Houston and Sugar Land areas, but we are also helping the communities to the south, extending all the way to Galveston, which has been devastated.
Service International has also dispatched its rapid relief teams from their headquarters in Missouri. Over the last two and a half years, SI has repaired or rebuilt hundreds of homes along the Gulf Coast in response to Hurricane Katrina, and they are now offering the same support to those devastated by the recent hurricane in Louisiana.
Equipped with trucks, tools and cleaning supplies, along with bottled water and other vital necessities, they are on the scene, helping people recover from this latest storm and get back on their feet—from cutting down trees and cleaning up debris…to rebuilding homes…to offering much needed encouragement and spiritual support.
Relief in Haiti
Several recent hurricanes have also pounded Haiti with intense winds and heavy rains, creating deadly mudslides and flooding. These destructive winds and flood waters have destroyed so many of their homes and huts, leaving large parts of this nation underwater or covered in mud. They have also taken hundreds of precious lives.
Hand of Hope is currently partnering with Love a Child, Inc. in Haiti to help get food and emergency items to those in need. We first began working with Love a Child this past year in order to feed and educate more than 4,500 people a day in this nation literally starving for help.
How You Can Help
First and foremost, we ask you to pray for all of the families affected by the recent hurricanes. Please pray for their health and protection as emergency teams strive to reach all those at risk.
Please also pray for wisdom and safety for all those involved in this relief effort—from churches and ministry organizations to the governors, police chiefs, and National Guardsmen who shoulder a tremendous responsibility.
Second, Hand of Hope is only able to partner with these relief organizations because of the incredible support of our friends and partners. If you would like to help support these hurricane relief efforts in Louisiana, as well as our other vital outreaches worldwide, please make a donation now.