This issue of Friday FAX is available online in HTML and 1-page PDF versions at http://www.nadadventist.org/fridayfax.

FRIDAY FAX
August 30, 2005
A News and Information Service for Leaders in North America

FROM THE EDITOR --- Adventist Community Service volunteers are already
working day and night, in trying conditions - lack of efficient,
dependable and safe transportation due to much water and road damage;
communication gaps; no electricity - in the hot, humid, and tense
aftermath of the 3rd worst hurricane to hit the United States. They are
working to collect and distribute much needed supplies to people who
have lost everything.

Friday FAX is forwarding this release from Adventist Community
Services and will keep you updated on relief efforts.
Contact: www.nadadventist.org for updates on the conditions of
Adventist members and churches.


HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORTS

For Immediate Release
August 30, 2005

CONTACT: Jerrica Thurman, Communication Coordinator, North American
Division Adventist Community Services, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver
Spring, MD 20904, 301-680-6438, Jerrica.Thurman@nad.adventist.org,
www.communityservices.org.


ACS DISASTER RESPONSE VOLUNTEERS ARE READY FOR ACTION

In Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, Adventist Community
Services (ACS) Disaster Response teams are setting up to provide
immediate relief to people devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

As New Orleans rescue teams work to retrieve those who are
trapped on rooftops because their homes are flooded, ACS Disaster
Response volunteers have mobilized to provide the survivors with needed
supplies. After medical evaluation, those who've been rescued receive
blankets, new clothing and personal kits, including toiletries from ACS
Disaster Response volunteers before they are transported to nearby
shelters. The volunteers are distributing supplies that are prepackaged
and stored in large truck units that supply nearly 1,700 people, which
the workers continually restock.

"We are working with Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) to set up a multi-agency warehouse nearby the devastated areas in
Louisiana," said Lavida Whitson, Adventist Community Services Director
for Arkansas-Louisiana Conference. "The multi-agency warehouse will be
managed by ACS Disaster Response and used to supply state designated
distribution sites. Our warehouse operation is where volunteers sort and
package donated goods, pull orders and load trucks for delivery to the
affected areas," stated Whitson.

It's been reported that at least fifteen Adventist churches in
New Orleans and surrounding areas are under water but no Adventist
families have suffered casualties.

In response to the damage caused by the hurricane at Bass
Memorial Academy in Lumberton, Mississippi, Florida ACS Disaster
Response teams are transporting three generators to provide power to the
academy's campus. The volunteers are also providing food to the local
community and volunteers from two feeding units that can each produce
20,000 meals a day.

"We are aiming to have all of our equipment delivered by this
Friday so we can accommodate volunteers to assist with rebuilding the
academy's campus," said David Canther, Adventist Community Services
Director of Florida Conference who is working with David Miller,
Adventist Community Services Director of Gulf States Conference.

In Alabama, ACS Disaster Response leaders are working with the
state Emergency Operating Center (EOC) to conduct assessments of the
damages, determine immediate needs and strategize donation distribution
methods.

State officials are working to determine the full scale of the
damages and thus have not yet identified specific items to donate.
However, "monetary contributions allow responding organizations to
purchase exactly what is most urgently needed by hurricane survivors -
and to pay for the transportation necessary to distribute the
supplies," reports Disaster News Network.

"By purchasing items nearer to the disaster site, it helps to
build the economies of the local areas," said Joe Watts, National
Coordinator of ACS Disaster Response. "The greatest help that anyone
can provide is financial contributions," explained Watts.


HOW YOU CAN HELP -

To join ACS Disaster Response in helping the survivors of
Hurricane Katrina, please make a donation online by visiting
www.communityservices.org, calling 1-877-ACS-2702 or mail to:

NAD ACS Disaster Response
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600
USA

Please forward this information throughout your networks. Thanks!

**********
For more than 100 years, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has provided
emergency relief through Adventist Community Services Disaster Response.
Working in more than 200 cities across North America, ACS Disaster
Response operates in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) and is a member of National Voluntary Organizations Active
in Disasters (NVOAD). For more information, visit
www.communityservices.org.



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Managing Editor - Lynetta Murdoch
lynetta.murdoch@nad.adventist.org
Fax 301-680-6464