WVUS Responds to Texas Wildfires and Hurricane Irene Aftermath
Although Hurricane Irene has disappeared from the top headlines, the extent of the damage it caused is increasingly evident. Meanwhile, massive wildfires in Texas have reportedly destroyed more homes than any previous blaze in the state's history.
World Vision is continuing to respond to both disasters, helping more than 4,000 families attempt to recover on the East Coast and in Texas.
Backpacks, personal hygiene kits, and flood cleanup kits—most prepared in advance of Hurricane Irene—have been distributed to children and their families in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. An estimated 42,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the hurricane and corresponding floods.
"For families that are displaced and facing significant losses, these essentials can go a long way toward helping families recover," said Phyllis Freeman, World Vision's domestic emergency response director. "We are especially concerned about families whose homes have been destroyed, who didn't have insurance, who may have lost their jobs, or who were already struggling financially."
In Texas, World Vision is distributing personal hygiene and cleanup kits to children and their families who have been evacuated in the hard-hit Bastrop County area. Wildfires have destroyed more than 1,300 homes, a figure that Texas officials expect will rise.
As on the East Coast, "we want to be there for the most vulnerable—those who often fall through the cracks during relief efforts because response distributions don't occur in their neighborhoods," Freeman said.
World Vision will work closely with its church partners in affected communities "to make sure these families receive the support they need to get back on their feet," she said.
World Vision response teams are still providing ongoing relief to tornado survivors in Alabama, Virginia, Minnesota and Missouri. In Tuscaloosa and Joplin alone, World Vision has served over 9,700 tornado survivors including 1,000 children who recently received backpacks filled with school supplies.
World Vision works domestically through eight distribution facilities across the nation, each stocked with essentials ranging from clothing and personal care items to school, cleaning, and building supplies. The agencies programming focuses on youth development, support of schools and communities and emergency response and rebuilding. The public can help by making a one-time donation to our U.S. Disaster Response Fund or by calling (888) 56-CHILD (24453).
Help now
Make a one-time donation to our U.S. Disaster Response Fund. Your gift will help us respond quickly and effectively to life-threatening emergencies right here in the United States, like the recent storms and tornadoes in the South.
Find out how your church can help provide vital supplies to tornado survivors.
Please pray for survivors of these deadly storms, especially those who have been left homeless or otherwise vulnerable.
Text Tornado to 20222 to donate $10 to World Vision's Disaster Relief Fund
