Katrina Response #3

KATRINA RESPONSE UPDATE #3

Today’s update includes three reports on how Florida Hospital is responding, a response description from the Florida Hospital Association, and an invitation for your personal participation—something you can do TODAY!

Later today you will receive a devotional on God’s involvement in our responses.

REPORTS

1. Sunday afternoon a Florida Hospital truck leaves to join the Orange County Emergency Services Team “on the ground” near Mobile, Alabama. This truck carries medical supplies, food, and “Buckets of Love” which contain essential personal items for those who have become refugees. This is our first wave of response directly to the impacted areas of the Gulf Coast. There will be much more.

2. Sunday afternoon another group of Florida Hospital vehicles leaves for Lumberton, Mississippi, where they will join with advance teams from Andrews University, Southern Adventist University, and Forest Lake Academy to help care for the needs of thousands in the area of Jackson, Mississippi. The convoy carries 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel to keep the generators going at a Seventh-day Adventist boarding high school, along with food and repair supplies for the area. We will continue working closely with the Adventist Community Services response teams in that area.

3. We are partnering with the United Way and other agencies to care for “refugees” in Central Florida. This will include our participation in a United Way food and fund drive that begins next Tuesday.

4. The following paragraphs come from the Florida Hospital Association

The State EOC is fully activated to assist with the Hurricane Katrina recovery process. This means they are handling requests just like they would for a Florida hurricane recovery effort. The Federal Government has charged Florida with assisting Mississippi while Texas has been charged with assisting Louisiana. Currently Florida has over 2,000 responders deployed to Mississippi, as all of Florida’s response efforts are focused on the southern six counties of Mississippi per the request of the Federal government. If you have personnel who want to volunteer to be deployed as part of the recovery effort, please have them register at www.disasterhelp.net/gulfcoast .

The state is coordinating the assignment of missions and deployment of response teams. Once a volunteer is notified by a state representative for deployment, the expectation is for the volunteer to be responsible for their own transportation to the Tallahassee fairgrounds and to arrive 48-72 hours from the time they are contacted. More specific information will be communicated to the volunteer at the time of contact. Deployment is for a two-week period to Mississippi.

No one is permitted into the recovery area without police escort. Response teams will travel in convoy with a police escort. This is very important.

Each team member must register for credentialing and tracking purposes. Additionally, if you have supplies that you would like to offer for the relief effort, please contact the State EOC. The e-mail address for the State EOC is stateesf8_planning@doh.state.fl.us and the phone number is 850-921-0215.
?The state is working on an expedited process for licensure of healthcare personnel who desire to re-locate to Florida. There is a temporary licensure process already in place for nurses and this process may be used for refugees seeking employment.

INVITATION * INVITATION * INVITATION

“Buckets of Love” are simple plastic buckets packed with personal need items and shipped to people who have been displaced by Tsunamis, Hurricanes, or other disasters. The prayer-dream of Debbie Christian, an emeritus member at Orlando’s Pine Ridge Presbyterian church, hundreds of thousands of these buckets have been filled around America and sent to Southeast Asia for Tsunami victims.

Now many more thousands of the buckets are needed in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama! AND WE CAN SEND THEM!

Florida Hospital Pastoral Care and our Spiritual Ambassadors are leading the “Buckets of Love Brigade.” This morning the first 1,200 EMPTY buckets were delivered to the chaplains on our campuses.

Sunday afternoon, as the first Florida Hospital trucks head North, their cargo will include Buckets of Love that you have filled for the refugees. Every vehicle we send in the coming weeks will include more of the Buckets of Love you have filled.

This is a simple, affordable way for all of us to be involved, even while we are still in Florida.

GET YOUR EMPTY BUCKETS FROM YOUR CHAPLAIN.
and RETURN THE FULL BUCKETS TO THE CHAPLAIN.

ALL BUCKETS WILL GO TO KATRINA REFUGEES.

Here is the PACKING LIST of items for you to purchase and put in your FULL BUCKET.

1 package of men’s disposable razors
1 tube of toothpaste
4 toothbrushes
1 package of combs
4 washcloths
1 hand towel
1 bar of soap
1 small bottle of Clorox
1 package of pens
1 mini-notebook with lined sheets
1 box of band aids
1 needle and thread kit
Several Plastic hard cups
1 pair of scissors
1 jump rope
1 small ball or other children’s toy
1 package of hard candy
1 package of small snacks
1 box of crayons and coloring books

Dick Duerksen
Assistant Vice President
Mission development
Florida Hospital