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As of September 22nd, in Virginia:
More
than 619 homes reported destroyed and 5,353 with major damage.
40 shelters are open with 1,137 occupants.
Forty-five jurisdictions have major power outages affecting
approximately 761,324 customers.
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Hurricane Isabel Victims
Seeking Relief
Hurricane Isabel’s
fierce winds have ceased, but the cleanup has just begun. The never-ending
sounds of saws and axes could be heard over the weekend as neighbors cleared
away fallen trees and ate with the aid of camp stoves. It might be weeks
until electricity is restored to many households. Countless families already
struggling to pay bills lost their homes to flooding or wind damage. They
also had to throw away refrigerated and frozen food. Many elderly are suffering
too – like Ricky.
The 92-year-old man’s power had been out for days, but he still
had a positive attitude. Ricky came to one of the feeding stations where
Operation Blessing volunteer teams were serving at The Salvation Army
in Portsmouth, Virginia. On Sunday afternoon Ricky was seeking a hot lunch.
He gratefully waited as a team of volunteers, including five Operation
Blessing staff, prepared hot dogs, corn, biscuits and drinks. They were
just one of seven teams that served meals to disaster victims over the
weekend. Additional teams will be working throughout the week, volunteering
at several locations and taking prepared food to homebound elderly men
and women.
After volunteering down at a feeding station in Norfolk, Virginia on Sunday
night, Rickita Whitten commented, “I was helping people who had
experienced the hurricane just like me. I had just gotten my power back
a few hours before coming down to volunteer and was very thankful. I was
blessed to have friends and church family help me through the storm. Many
can’t afford to simply go out and spend money at a restaurant. They
need our help.”
Operation Blessing started its’ response and a unique partnership
with The Salvation Army within hours of the hurricane’s passing.
Our Hunger Strike Force tractor-trailers were loaded with relief supplies
and dispatched to communities hard hit by Isabel's fury. So far, 11 truckloads
of disaster aid such as bleach, drinking water, food, hygiene items, diapers
and recovery kits have been delivered to disaster victims living in North
Carolina, Maryland and Virginia!
OBI's Disaster Response Team is coordinating with the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), Salvation Army, as well as local churches and
agencies to get help to where it is needed most. “We’re excited
about the synergy and the opportunity to be of support to The Salvation
Army,” said William Horan, Operation Blessing’s president
and chief operating officer. “We know that trucks are often hard
to come by in emergency situations. This is ‘two plus two equals
five’. It makes good business sense.”
Your help is needed now! Damage reports are still coming in. But OBI can
only respond with the same amount of support that our faithful partners
give us. President George W. Bush declared Virginia and many other effected
areas as “States of Emergency”. While electric companies work
to restore power, it is estimated that in Virginia’s Hampton Roads
area it will take another 7 days to fix all of the problems. In parts
of North Carolina it is expected to take a couple of weeks! Thousands
throughout North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland are desperate for help
in cleaning their flooded homes, fixing hot meals, and recovering from
devastating loses.
Your gift of $50 or more can assist OBI in delivering critical emergency
food and supplies to families recovering from Hurricane Isabel. There’s
no time to waste; the need is now.
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