A Message from National Disaster Relief

Posted by dgarrett on Jan 16th, 2010 | no comments home title

We are all feeling the frustration of seeing the great devastation and suffering, and feeling like we should “do something”. Here is a message that I received late Friday night from Southern Baptist Disaster Relief.

“A five man assessment team from NAMB, BGR (Baptist Global Response), Kentucky Baptists, Mississippi Baptists and South Carolina Baptists still waits in limbo for flights into the country. Again today flights into Haiti were stopped and the port remains closed. Authorities are dealing with the increasing number of planes without enough fuel to leave the island and to clear debris from the port so that ships might dock brining much needed supplies. SBDR Leaders are exploring all avenues of transportation. Plans A, B and C are constantly changing as the situation changes. It is the prayers of God’s people that will open doors and bring a timely solution to this issue.

Pray that through this Southern Baptist Disaster Relief effort, people all over the world will see the goodness of God and give glory to Him.

So many have called, emailed, and text messaged us asking, “What can we do?” “When can we go?” Others have offered equipment, food, and supplies. Such compassion and willingness to step in and serve the hurting around us is a wonderful expression of gratitude for the mercy afforded us through Christ Jesus. How great is our God! How wonderful His love! How marvelous His grace!

The truth right now is most of us cannot go.

We have received word that the U.S. State Department has grounded all flights to Haiti due to a lack of security and the escalating violence in Port-au-Prince. The airport is clogged with planes awaiting fuel. The port is so badly damaged no ships can dock. Driving in the country is at best difficult as roads are damaged and cluttered with debris. Today we heard the wait to cross the border into Haiti from the Dominican Republic was hours in length. So much so that some relief workers were considering an eight hour trip to a second border crossing in hopes of getting into Haiti faster.

Medical care is severely hampered. Today one clinic transported critically injured patients to the Dominican Republic by land due to lack of equipment and supplies. Persons planning to go to Haiti have been warned to get a whole spectrum of vaccines, plan to take everything they will need, and have some provision for security.

The sights, sounds and smell of death are all over the city. SBDR personnel who have responded to places like 9/11 Ground Zero, New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Honduras following the massive earthquake and landslide there have all expressed concern for the mental health of people going to Haiti. One does not quickly forget the images the mind’s eye captures, or the stories told by survivors, in the aftermath of disasters the magnitude of this one.

So how can you help? What is needed most?

Prayer: Pray that God will open the doors for Disaster Relief organizations to get into the country and make the necessary assessments to put in place a strategy to bring help to the people of Haiti.

Ministry at home: Identify and minister to local Haitian communities. These communities are suffering because of the loss of family and friends in Port-au-Prince. Many have been unable to communicate with their loved ones. Fear and anxiety is continually growing in local communities. Saturday some NAMB and Georgia Baptist staff will be meeting with members of Haitian churches in the Atlanta area. They need a listening ear, a caring heart and a word of encouragement from God.

Donations: Please consider donating to a trusted relief agency. The resources will help provide food, water, medical supplies and emergency relief workers into the area as soon as the doors open allowing access into the country. Just as moving personnel into the country is nearly impossible today so to moving supplies into and around the damaged region is a logistical nightmare. That means monetary donations are the greatest need.

Patience: Please keep in mind that the Southern Baptist response in Haiti will be a long term process. Long after relief supplies have arrived in abundance the people of Haiti will need chaplains who can help them overcome the trauma of the earthquake and its aftermath, clean up and recovery teams to help rebuild their homes, and to hear the Good News of Jesus spoken. There will be plenty of work to do when the time comes.

Recognize that it takes accurate information to formulate a successful response strategy. Information, that today is very hard to get. What resources are available? What will have to be brought in? How will volunteers travel in and out of the country? Where will they be housed and fed? How do we distribute aid to desperate people without creating chaos? What are the greatest needs?

Take this time to prepare your heart and mind for the hard labor ahead. If you are not a trained Disaster Relief volunteer contact your state convention to find out when the next training event is scheduled.

The hardest part of any major response is in the first days when the images of the tragedy fill our TV screens and we wait as needed information is gathered so that a strategic operations plan can be put in motion. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness waiting for the fullness of time. Surely our wait will not be as long.”