Christian Agencies Use Know-How to Help Hurricane Victims

Tennessee Star

The Daily Caller reports that Christian non-profits do more than any government agency to support victims of disasters like hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The story says that faith-based organizations provide the bulk of relief, even when compared to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, quoting a national media story. The National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) works with FEMA to distribute resources in disaster areas and help victims find the help they need. Seventy-five percent of NVOAD’s membership is comprised of faith-based organizations, The Daily Caller reports. The disaster coordination agency’s membership, includes notables like the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team and Convoy of Hope, plus many denominational response organizations including those for the Adventists, Disciples of Christ and Episcopalians. There are non-Christian and secular groups as well. Such organizations have the experience and logistical infrastructure to effectively respond to disasters and work with devastated communities in the long-term. Jake Raabe, in the Baptist Standard, speaks out against the “second disaster” created when well-intentioned people send useless items like teddy bears that overwhelm meaningful relief operations. Supply planes could not land in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch ravaged that nation in 1998 because Americans had donated so much used clothing that boxes of…

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From Utilities to Sea Turtles, Tennesseans Help Hurricane Victims

Tennesseans’ responses to the recent hurricanes has included the traditional measures of sending money and supplies as well as more creative efforts like providing housing for evacuees and sea turtles. The Volunteer State lived up to its name as individuals, churches, utilities, emergency responders and others offered their support to residents of Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida from hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Metro Nashville Water Services sent 27 employees to Key West and Key Largo, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reported on Sept. 15. The utility has experience in restoring services after disasters, such as the 2010 Nashville flood. The utility workers will spend 11 days repairing water lines along the Florida Keys Aqueduct which serves almost 50,000 customers in the Florida Keys. The team will operate from Marathon, Florida. “Power restoration and petroleum supplies are of significant concern, and many survivors cannot reach their homes due to debris and flooding,” Patrick Sheehan, TEMA director, said in the statement. Tennessee’s emergency services response to Irma victims has included five ambulance strike teams, two public health incident management teams, an urban search and rescue team, and a nurse strike team, TEMA reported. The Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department and Rutherford County Special…

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Nashville to be Included in National Telethon to Benefit Hurricane Victims

Nashville will be featured in a nationally broadcast telethon Tuesday to raise money for victims of Hurricane Harvey. ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and CMT will air the live telethon, which will be based in Los Angeles, with stages in New York and Nashville, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Nashville stage will be at the Grand Ole Opry. The Universal Studios lot and Times Square will be the settings for the Los Angeles and New York portions. The hour-long telethon will start at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The event will also be streamed internationally on Facebook and Twitter. Called “Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Relief,” the telethon will feature appearances from Blake Shelton, Reese Witherspoon, George Clooney, Dennis Quaid and many others. There will be a live performance finale from Texas with George Strait and special guests. Harvey struck Texas on Aug. 25 as a Category 4 hurricane, the first major hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. in more than a decade. Though weakening to a tropical storm, Harvey caused massive flooding in Houston and other areas and is blamed for at least 60 deaths. According to the event website, the telethon is prepared to expand its beneficiaries to…

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Tropical Storm Harvey Hits Tennessee

  Hurricane Harvey barreled into Tennessee Thursday night as a tropical depression, causing road closures, power outages, flash flooding and tornado warnings, reports WSMV Channel 4. According to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), 18,000 people statewide are still without power. Initially, about 40,000 customers were without power. Twenty school systems closed across the state Friday, including Metro Nashville Public Schools. Although there were 20 tornado warnings across West and Middle Tennessee, there have not been any confirmed touchdowns. Some areas around Nashville received as much as 8.88 inches of rain with 24 hours, according to Nashville’s Office of Emergency Management. People living near a part of Whites Creek were asked to voluntarily evacuate. At least 15 homes near Dry Creek in Goodlettsville were also evacuated. There have been no reports of injuries, deaths or missing people, according to the Nashville Fire Department. Some additional bad weather was expected Friday. The Associated Press reported Thursday that a gas pipeline that fuels Tennessee would shut down because of Harvey. Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline said the closure was needed because of storm-related refinery shutdowns and Harvey’s effect on its facilities west of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The pipeline supplies nearly 40 percent of the South’s gasoline. Colonial…

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